Apple Loses FaceTime Patent Case

A U.S. court has determined that Apple should pay damages to a Connecticut-based company because their FaceTime video chat tool infringed on the firm’s patents. As such, Apple must pay VirnetX $368.2 million, according to Patently Apple. VirnetX had alleged that four of its patents - registered between 2002 and 2011 - had been infringed by the company's desktop, laptop, tablet and smartphone computers. Each runs FaceTime and the company's instant messenger service, iMessage. While Apple can no doubt pay the award mentioned above, the ruling could have more serious consequences. VirnetX has threatened to block the further use of their innovations in Apple’s products. This ruling comes just as VirnetX filed another lawsuit against Cupertino, this one over VPN on-demand functionality in Mountain Lion. Apple has yet to comment on either case. Source: Patently Apple

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