VirnetX wins patent case against Microsoft

Software company VirnetX Holding Corp today said a federal jury in Texas has ordered Microsoft to pay $105.75 million to the company for infringing two patents.

In February 2007, VirnetX sued the software giant, alleging that Microsoft had infringed two VirnetX patents related to virtual private network (VPN) technology, a network that uses a public telecom infrastructure, such as the Internet, to provide users with secure access to their organisation's network.

Microsoft was ordered to pay $71.75 million for infringing a patent that coveres a method of creating a VPN between a client computer and a target computer and $34 million for infringing a patent for establishing a VPN using a secure domain name service, McKool Smith, who represented VirnetX, said in a statement.

"The Jurors also found that Microsoft's infringement was willful," the statement added.

"Our clients are very happy with today's verdict. We hope this decision sends a clear message to patent infringers everywhere that they will be held responsible for wrongly profiting off the hard work of others," Douglas Cawley, member of McKool Smith trial team, said.