Sept. 28 (UPI) -- A federal jury on Wednesday ordered Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, to pay nearly $175 million in damages after ruling that the company infringed on two patents held by a walkie-talkie messaging app founded by a former Army Green Beret.
The patents were held by Voxer Inc., a walkie-talkie messaging app founded by a Tom Katis. The app was launched in 2011 as a way to solve battlefield communications problems. It was named Best Overall App in the First Annual Silicon Valley Business App Awards in 2013.