A US federal jury has ordered Apple to pay over $5.7 billion to Taction Technology for allegedly using patented haptic technology in iPhones and Apple Watches. According to reports from Reuters, this represents the largest patent verdict of its kind in the US to date. The tech giant denied the claims and announced it would appeal the verdict, with the case centered around two US patents, Nos. 10,659,885 and 10,820,117, covering vibration technology for creating tactile sensations. The jury trial began on September 14 with seven jurors deliberating for two days after proceedings concluded, with the verdict delivered at around 1:15 pm PT on Friday in favor of Taction. As per Law360, the verdict is described as the largest patent award in U.S. history.
The lawsuit involves Apple's Taptic Engine, which was first introduced alongside the Apple Watch in 2014. As reported by AppleInsider, unlike traditional vibration motors, the system uses a linear resonant actuator to generate haptic responses, giving Apple greater precision in controlling movement and enabling sensations such as taps, vibrations and a simulated heartbeat. Taction alleged that Apple's Taptic Engine incorporates its patented technology without obtaining necessary licensing or authorization. The jury found that Apple's Taptic Engine, which creates tapping vibrations, infringed two Taction patents, with the lawsuit centered around US Patent Nos. 10,659,885 and 10,820,117, which both involve vibration-based, tactile transducer technology that helps users feel a device responding to their input.
The San Diego-based company sued Apple in 2021 in the US District Court for the Southern District of California, initially winning dismissal in 2023 before the Federal Circuit later revived the case. According to Reuters, the trial began on September 14 with seven jurors deliberating for two days after proceedings concluded. The verdict was delivered at around 1:15 pm PT on Friday in favor of Taction. Notably, the jury did not find Apple's infringement willful, which could impact the damages calculation during the appeals process. Taction, which uses its technology in headphones and gaming headsets, filed the lawsuit in 2021 and has been waiting for this verdict for over five years. The case followed years of legal proceedings, with a district court initially ruling in 2023 that Apple did not infringe, but the Federal Circuit revived the case last year after finding the lower court abused its discretion in claim construction.
In a statement to CNBC, Apple said it strongly disagreed with the verdict and damages awarded, stating the facts do not support the ruling. The company emphasized that its Taptic Engine is fundamentally different from Taction's technology, which Taction's own testing of Apple's products confirmed during trial. Apple added that it does not use Taction's technology and will appeal the decision. "While we thank the jury for their consideration, we strongly disagree with today's verdict and the damages awarded, which are entirely unsupported by the facts," Apple told CNBC. The company also denied the allegations and said the patents were invalid, further justifying its decision to challenge the verdict. Although the jury found infringement, it determined Apple's conduct was not willful, as reported by Law360.
Responding to the ruling, Taction's lead counsel Lance Yang told CNBC that the jury found for Taction and vindicated its patent rights, noting it was a long time coming after waiting five and a half years for the case to reach trial. "We're happy the jury found for Taction and vindicated its patent rights," the company's lead counsel, Lance Yang, partner at Quinn Emanuel, told CNBC. The verdict adds a major legal and financial risk for Apple in a product area that is central to the user experience of its devices. It also underscores how patent claims around component-level technologies, even those operating in the background of smartphones and wearables, can result in multibillion-dollar exposure for large hardware companies. Apple, the world's most valuable company, has been fined a record $5.7 billion and has stated that the fine is "unfair," as reported by multiple sources.
