VirnetX has been awarded US$368.2 million in its patent lawsuit against Apple over the FaceTime video chat feature, reports "The MacObserver" (http://macte.ch/YcjDi).

In November 2011 VirnetX (www.virnetx.com) filed a lawsuit against Apple in the US District Court in the Eastern District of Texas, alleging that Apple violated its US patent (number 7188180) for "method for establishing secure communication link between computers for virtual private network." The invention describes a technique "for establishing a secure communication link between a first computer and a second computer over a computer network."

This is accomplished by establishing a "secure communication mode of communication" at a first computer without the need for the user to enter any cryptographic information." VirnetX's claims the iPhone 4S, iPhone 4, iPad 2, iPod touch, and Macs that run Mac OS X 10.7 ("Lion") infringe up the patent, which was published in 2007.

The won its patent fight in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas, Tyler Division, notes "The Mac Observer." Along with its $368.2 million, VirnetX is also hoping to convince the court to block Apple from selling infringing products, which includes all of its Mac lineup, the iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch, the article adds.