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Apple Loses Patent Retrial To VirnetX, Owes $302.4 Million (reuters.com)
Slashdot reader chasm22 quotes Reuters:
A federal jury in Texas on Friday night ordered Apple Inc to pay more than $302 million in damages for using VirnetX Holding Corp's patented internet security technology without permission in features including its FaceTime video conferencing application. The verdict came in a new trial in Tyler, Texas that had been ordered by the judge in the case, Robert Schroeder, who last August threw out VirnetX's $625.6 million win over Apple from a previous trial because he said jurors in that case may have been confused...
A jury in 2012 awarded $368.2 million in damages, but the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit in Washington, D.C., partly overturned that verdict, saying there were problems with how the trial judge instructed jurors on calculating damages. On remand, VirnetX's two suits were combined, and in February, a jury returned with an even bigger verdict, $625.6 million, one of the highest ever in a U.S. patent case... However, Schroeder later voided the result, saying that the repeated references to the earlier case could have confused jurors and were unfair to Apple... Apple will also have to contend with the trial in a second lawsuit VirnetX filed against Apple over newer versions of Apple security features, as well as its iMessage application.
The article points out that "Many patent cases are handled in the Texas court, which has a reputation for awarding favorable verdicts to plaintiffs alleging infringement."
A jury in 2012 awarded $368.2 million in damages, but the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit in Washington, D.C., partly overturned that verdict, saying there were problems with how the trial judge instructed jurors on calculating damages. On remand, VirnetX's two suits were combined, and in February, a jury returned with an even bigger verdict, $625.6 million, one of the highest ever in a U.S. patent case... However, Schroeder later voided the result, saying that the repeated references to the earlier case could have confused jurors and were unfair to Apple... Apple will also have to contend with the trial in a second lawsuit VirnetX filed against Apple over newer versions of Apple security features, as well as its iMessage application.
The article points out that "Many patent cases are handled in the Texas court, which has a reputation for awarding favorable verdicts to plaintiffs alleging infringement."
Live by the sword, reap what you die by the soweth.
I've concluded that abolishing parents is the only way to truly solve the problem. The patent office has no ability to adequately review patents, so there are far too many trivial patents. Add to it that those who actually do research often sell their patents, meaning that the owners aren't doing research or production at all. The only solution here is to completely abolish patents.
An interesting situation unfolding..
From what is there, this looks like a pretty reasonable verdict. Apple infringed on four patents held by the plaintiff and got their heads handed to them.
May very well be one of those cases where the patent system works correctly. Given Apples past bad actions it's a shame the original verdict wasn't upheld
Appeal again! Keep doing it til one party runs out of money. That's how justice works, right?
I am not a big Apple supporter and I think our patent system is corrupt and totally broken.
But this smells, isn't this being adjudicated in the Eastern District of Texas the center of all that screams PATENT TROLL!
Pay them in Euros, that's one way to use the money accumulating in Ireland avoiding taxes upon repatriation. :-)
If Apple was a patent troll, you'd hear about them suing other companies on an hourly basis, not every few years. You do know that Samsung sued Apple as well, right? Right?
Yep. The plaintiffs shop for a favorable court, and they pick this one court in a small town in Texas.
http://motherboard.vice.com/read/the-small-town-judge-who-sees-a-quarter-of-the-nations-patent-cases
http://www.texasmonthly.com/politics/patently-unfair/
VirtnetX pretty much sues everyone. They are patent trolls. They lost against Cisco, which means we can sill use VPNs.
Apple will undoubtedly appeal, and cite Alice Corp vs CLS Bank, which has about a 78% win track record for the defendant, when cited as part of a patent case. Either way: the next level of appeal takes it out of East Texas, also known as "Patent Troll Heaven".
"Real" as in documented by the same patent office that recently got in hot water over corruption involving Sopranos-esque 'no-work' employees?
"Real" as in so technically insightful that any hint of the innovation was revealed in this slashdot summary or upmodded comments thus far?
Not exactly. If you want to continue your "real patent" defense, you might want to consider that this technical audience is very interested in what novel technique is actually being litigated over. The fact that no details seem quickly apparent suggests it is likely some one-click-purchasing bullshit.
I don't carry any water for Apple or other consumer electronics company but I've been to Tyler Texas and it isn't a technological hotbed. You wonder where your old smart phone goes after it is hopelessly outdated? They go to Tyler to die.
Should've left the headphone jack in the iPhone 7...
CAP === 'shuffled'
This is a joke pls no sue
...just gotta look in the seat cushions for the money.
Apple makes that much in less than two days.
My Uncle Cameron got an awesome black Audi A6 only from working part-time off a pc at home...
http://fave.co/2d8h5YM
What technology companies should start doing is just stop offering any services or products in East Texas anymore.
See how they like the luddite repercussions. Really they are ruining it for the rest of the world, so why should they see any of the benefits?