Apple to appeal $625m ruling over patent

Apple must pay VirnetX Holding Corp more than $625m (€558m) for using the patent licencing company’s Internet security technology without permission in its FaceTime and iMessage features, a federal jury in Texas said.

The award was more than the $532m VirnetX had sought before the trial began on January 25 in Tyler, Texas. The jury said Apple’s infringement was willful.

The verdict, though a blow for Apple, does not pose a threat to the company, which reported in January that its cash pile had reached $216bn.