A federal jury in San Diego ruled Friday that Apple must pay more than $5.7 billion in damages for using patented technology owned by haptics patent company Taction Technology. Cailianpress said the award is the largest patent damages verdict in U.S. history.
Taction sued Apple in 2021, alleging that the company sold devices that infringed touch-related technology and improperly used its innovations. The case was dismissed in 2023, but the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit later revived it.
Apple said in a statement that it strongly disagrees with the verdict and the damages amount, and argued that the decision has no factual basis. The company said its Taptic Engine is fundamentally different from Taction’s technology, adding that tests on Apple products presented during trial confirmed that point. Apple also said it did not use Taction’s technology and will appeal.
Taction lead counsel Lance Yang thanked the jury and said the company had waited five and a half years for the case to reach trial.
The lawsuit centers on two vibration-based haptic sensor technologies designed to let users feel a device’s response to input. Taction said Apple used its inventions without authorization in the Taptic Engine found in the Apple Watch and iPhone.
Apple introduced the Taptic Engine with the Apple Watch in 2014. It was added to the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus the following year, replacing older vibration motors.
Because Apple plans to continue its appeal, the damages figure is not yet final. The trial judge must first rule on post-trial motions before the case moves through the appeals process.