Apple Inc has been ordered to pay more than $625 million to Internet security software company VirnetX for the unlawful use of technology in the iPhone maker's FaceTime and iMessage features.
The payout ordered by the federal jury in Texas, who ruled Apple's infringement was 'willful,' was higher than the $532 million VirnetX had initially sought.
"We are surprised and disappointed by the verdict ... Cases like this simply reinforce the desperate need for patent reform," Apple said in a statement, adding it will appeal against the verdict.
Nevada-based VirnetX, which has patented technology for secure communications including 4G LTE security, first sued Apple in 2010 over its alleged infringement in the use of virtual private networks technology in FaceTime video conferencing application.
"The jury saw what we have been saying all along: Apple has been infringing VirnetX's patented technology for years," Jason Cassady, the company's lawyer, said.
In 2012 Apple was ordered to pay VirnetX $368.2 million in damages in a case relating to patents of iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad and Mac computers. However, the US Court of Appeals partly overturned that verdict.
VirnetX won a lawsuit against Microsoft in 2010, winning a $200 million settlement against the tech giant over the VPN technology.
