A federal jury in San Diego ordered Apple to pay Taction Technology $5.7 billion in damages Friday after finding the company infringed two haptics patents used in iPhones and Apple Watches.
The verdict centered on U.S. Patent Nos. 10,659,885 and 10,820,117, which cover vibration-based tactile transducer technology that allows users to perceive device responses to their input. Taction alleged Apple's Taptic Engine, integrated into iPhones and Apple Watches, infringed these patents without license.
Apple said it disagreed with the verdict and planned to appeal, arguing its Taptic Engine operates on a different technological basis than Taction's inventions.
The case, filed in 2021 in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California, spent five and a half years in litigation. Apple secured a dismissal in 2023, but the Federal Circuit revived the case, allowing it to proceed to trial. Seven jurors deliberated for two days before delivering their verdict at 1:15 p.m. PT on Friday.
The jury did not find Apple's actions willful, which typically affects damages calculations in patent cases. Apple's stock closed at $341.07, up 1.5 percent.
