VirnetX is stepping up its legal battle against Apple, asking a Texas court to order an injunction against FaceTime and iMessage, while also requesting an extra $190 million on top of the $635.6 million it was awarded earlier this year.
Apple could potentially owe an extra $190 million, Law360 said on Thursday. During a Wednesday court hearing, VirnetX argued that while the requested injunction might seem extreme, irreparable harm was caused, and the extra damages are due to Apple being a “poster child” for unreasonable legal tactics.
For its part, Apple is seeking a mistrial over the jury verdict that awarded VirnetX the original damages. The Cupertino firm is arguing that an injunction or royalty payments wouldn’t be fair, due to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office’s rejection of the four patents in questions. It is also making claims that a questionable argument was made to the jury, and that despite the jury’s verdict, the court should rule non-infringement, due to a lack of evidence.
The patent case dates back to 2010, when VirnetX filed a patent lawsuit against Apple, the result of which was a jury finding that Apple did infringe on the patents in question, and the award to VirnetX of $368 million in damages in 2012. That decision was thrown out in September 2014, when the damages were found to have been incorrectly calculated. A retrial led to the higher $635.6 million award.
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