A federal jury in San Diego ordered Apple to pay over $5.7 billion in damages for infringing on two haptic technology patents held by Taction.

A federal jury in San Diego has ordered Apple to pay more than $5.7 billion in damages to haptics company Taction. The verdict follows a 2021 lawsuit in which Taction alleged that Apple’s Taptic Engine, used in iPhones and Apple Watches, infringed on two of its patents related to vibration-based, tactile transducer technology. While the jury found that Apple infringed on the patents, it did not conclude that the infringement was willful.

Background of the Patent Dispute

The legal battle centers on U.S. Patent Nos. 10,659,885 and 10,820,117. Taction claimed that Apple utilized its proprietary technology without obtaining a proper license. The jury determined that Apple infringed on two claims within one patent and one claim in the other. Taction had initially accused Apple of reverse-engineering the technology from Kannon gaming headsets. The case was previously dismissed by a federal judge in 2023 but was reinstated following a decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit.

Apple's Response and Legal Context

Apple has stated its intention to appeal the jury's verdict. If the damages stand, the payout would represent one of the largest in a U.S. patent infringement case. Apple has faced previous legal challenges regarding haptic technology, including a settled complaint from Immersion, as well as a separate ongoing dispute with Masimo involving blood-oxygen tracking features on the Apple Watch, for which a jury previously ordered a $634 million payment.