Apple files for mistrial in nearly Rs 4,200 crore FaceTime patent suit

Days after being ordered to pay $625.6 million (Rs 4,232.81 crore) in damages, California-based tech giant Apple Inc has filed for a mistrial in a patent infringement suit by VirnetX, a specialised holding company derived from past military technology.

VirnetX sued Apple claiming it infringed on four patents related to communications protocols, patents used in iMessage, FaceTime, and VPN on Demand, as well as the Apple devices using the software, the Verge reported.

According to Apple, lawyers for VirnetX used arguments outside the evidence and blatantly misrepresented the testimony of Apple's witnesses in closing arguments this week.

VirnetX has over 80 Internet security patents worldwide, and 100 patents pending.

The company's patent portfolio includes US and international patents in areas such as DNS and network communication.

Since 2010, VirnetX has been in litigation with companies including Apple, Cisco, and Microsoft. VirnetX has won several jury trials and settled with Microsoft, Aastra, Mitel, NEC, and Siemens, and most recently Avaya.