Although we don't believe in timing the market or panicking over market movements, we do like to keep an eye on big changes -- just in case they're material to our investing thesis.
What: Shares of VirnetX Holding Corporation (VHC 1.07%) jumped more than 10% during Monday's intraday trading after SEC filings revealed a favorable order in the company's pending patent litigation against Apple.
So what: Specifically, a U.S. District Court issued an order awarding VirnetX an ongoing royalty of 0.98% on "adjudicated products and products not colorably different from those adjudicated at trial that incorporate any of the FaceTime or VPN on Demand features found to infringe at trial."
Now what: That could amount to an award in the hundreds of millions -- not unlike the $368 million judgment in late-2012 after jury decided Apple had infringed four VirnetX patents also related to FaceTime.
Of course, VirnetX will inevitably need to work through a lengthy appeals process before any court decisions are truly final, which demonstrates just how difficult it can be for small IP companies to actually cash a check. Even so, while it's hardly the final word, today's decision does represent yet another piece of the long-term puzzle for VirnetX shareholders.
