A federal jury in San Diego awarded Taction Technology more than $5.7 billion in damages after finding Apple infringed two haptics patents related to the Taptic Engine used in iPhones and Apple Watches. Apple has vowed to appeal.
A federal jury in San Diego awarded Taction Technology more than $5.7 billion in damages Friday after finding that Apple infringed claims from two of the company's haptics patents, delivering one of the largest intellectual property verdicts in recent memory against the iPhone maker.
Taction, a haptics technology company, originally filed suit against Apple in 2021 in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California, alleging that Apple was improperly "capitalizing on Taction's innovation and success" by selling devices that infringed on its vibration technology.
The case had a winding procedural history before reaching a jury. Apple initially won dismissal in 2023, but the Federal Circuit later revived the matter, clearing the path for a trial that began September 14.
The seven-member jury deliberated for two days after proceedings concluded, returning at 1:15 p.m. PT on Friday with a verdict in favor of Taction. The jury did not find Apple's infringement willful.
The lawsuit centered on U.S. Patent Nos. 10,659,885 and 10,820,117, both of which involve vibration-based, tactile transducer technology that allows users to physically feel a device responding to their input. Taction argued that the "Taptic Engine" embedded in Apple Watches and iPhones uses its patented inventions without a proper license or authority.
Apple vowed to challenge the decision. In a statement to Bloomberg Law, the company said it "does not use Taction's technology" and indicated it would appeal the finding.
Representatives for both Apple and Taction did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The verdict arrives at a complex moment for Apple's legal standing around its device technologies. Haptic feedback has become a defining hardware feature across Apple's product lines, and the Taptic Engine is central to the user experience of both the iPhone and Apple Watch — underscoring the potential stakes of the appeal for Apple's broader hardware roadmap.
The infringement finding, while significant in dollar terms, is not final. Patent verdicts of this scale frequently face reduction or reversal at the appellate level, and Apple's track record of mounting sustained legal challenges in intellectual property cases suggests the dispute is far from resolved. The outcome of any appeal at the Federal Circuit is expected to draw close attention from the wider consumer electronics industry, where haptic technology has become an increasingly competitive differentiator.
Marc Sabatini is a staff writer at TechEchelon covering enterprise software, cybersecurity, and the regulatory beats that shape both. He focuses on the deal flow and policy decisions that move markets.
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