US Supreme court declines to hear $503M Apple-VirnetX patent case

FaceTime was at the heart of the VirnetX lawsuit against Apple

In Apple's 14-year legal battle against VirnetX over alleged patent infringement by FaceTime, the iPhone maker was ruled to pay out $502.8 million in 2020, a verdict it managed to defeat in 2023. Almost one year later, VirnetX's last chance to keep its payout alive has bit the dust.

The decision on Tuesday by the U.S. Supreme Court was a refusal to hear the bid by VirnetX to revive the overturned jury verdict, reports CNBC. By declining the request, the 2023 decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit still stands, meaning Apple doesn't have to pay out the $503 million.

It all but brings to an end the legal battle that started back in 2010, when VirnetX sued Apple over allegations of patent infringement related to FaceTime, VPN, and iMessage services.

By 2020, a federal jury ruled in favor of VirnetX's case, calculating the massive payout from Apple, shy of the $700 million it wanted, but more than Apple's preferred $113m payment.

In 2023, the U.S. Court of Appeals decided in favor of Apple, overturning the $503M ruling completely, and forcing VirnetX further up the judicial chain.