A federal jury in San Diego ordered Apple to pay Taction Technology more than $5.7 billion after finding the iPhone and Apple Watch maker infringed two haptics patents. Apple says it will appeal what Reuters called the country's largest such verdict to date.
A San Diego federal jury ordered Apple to pay Taction Technology more than $5.7 billion on Friday, finding the company infringed two of Taction's haptics patents. Apple said it would appeal what Reuters called the country's largest such verdict to date.
Patents cover the Taptic Engine
The case centered on U.S. Patent Nos. 10,659,885 and 10,820,117, which cover vibration-based tactile transducer technology that lets users feel a device respond to their input. Taction argued that Apple's Taptic Engine, embedded in iPhones and Apple Watches, uses its inventions without a license. The jury agreed that Apple's Taptic Engine infringed the two Taction patents, though it did not find the infringement willful.
Apple pushed back on the finding. In a statement, the company said it "does not use Taction's technology" and confirmed it would appeal. Taction, which also uses its vibration technology in headphones and gaming headsets, filed the lawsuit in 2021 in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California.
Case revived after early dismissal
The company initially won dismissal of the case, with a San Diego federal judge ruling in 2023 that it did not infringe the patents. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit later revived the case, sending it back for trial. The company denied the allegations and argued the patents were invalid.
The jury trial began Sept. 14, and the seven jurors deliberated for two days after proceedings concluded. They returned their verdict in favor of Taction at 1:15 p.m. PT on Friday. Representatives for Apple and Taction did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Sources: CNBC, Investing.com
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