Apple has been ordered to pay more than $5.7 billion to Taction Technology after a US federal jury found that the technology behind Apple’s haptic feedback in iPhones and Apple Watches infringed two Taction patents. According to a CNBC report, the iPhone maker has rejected the verdict and said it will appeal. “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 the publication. The company also disputed the damages awarded by the jury, saying its Taptic Engine is different from Taction’s technology.
What is the Apple-Taction patent dispute
Taction Technology sued Apple in 2021 in the US District Court for the Southern District of California. The case focused on two patents, US Patent Nos. 10,659,885 and 10,820,117, covering vibration-based technology that allows users to feel a device respond to their input.Taction argued that Apple’s Taptic Engine, which produces the tapping and vibration feedback on devices such as iPhones and Apple Watches, used technology covered by its patents without permission.Apple initially won the case in 2023 when a federal judge ruled that it had not infringed the patents. However, the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit later revived the case, allowing it to go to trial.
Apple says it will appeal
The jury delivered its verdict on Friday, September 25 after a trial that began on September 14. It found that Apple infringed claims from the two Taction patents and awarded Taction more than $5.7 billion.Apple strongly disagreed with the decision. “Apple’s Taptic Engine is fundamentally different from Taction’s technology, which Taction’s own testing of Apple’s products confirmed during trial. Apple does not use Taction’s technology, and we will appeal,” the company told CNBCThe jury, however, did not find that Apple’s infringement was willful.Taction welcomes the verdictTaction’s lawyers welcomed the jury’s decision. “We’re happy the jury found for Taction and vindicated its patent rights,” the company’s lead counsel Lance Yang told CNBC. “Taction waited five and a half years for this case to get to trial, so it was a long time coming.”
