Apple has been ordered to pay more than $5.7 billion after losing a patent dispute involving the haptic technology used in devices such as the iPhone and Apple Watch.
The case was brought by Taction, a technology company that develops haptic feedback systems. Taction accused Apple of using its patented technology in the Taptic Engine, a small component responsible for producing vibrations when users receive notifications and alerts.
Taction filed the lawsuit against Apple in April 2021 in the US District Court for the Southern District of California, claiming that Apple had used its patented inventions without a license or authorization.
Apple initially won the case in 2023, when a jury found that the company had not infringed Taction’s patents. Taction later appealed the decision, leading to a new ruling in its favor.
The court ultimately found that Apple had infringed two of Taction’s patents and ordered the company to pay $5,721,961,750 in damages.
Taction’s attorney Lance Yang said the company was pleased with the outcome after waiting about five and a half years for the case to reach trial.
Apple strongly disagrees with the verdict and the amount of damages. The company said the award is not supported by the facts and maintained that the Taptic Engine is fundamentally different from Taction’s technology.
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Apple also argued that Taction’s own testing of Apple products during the trial confirmed that the company does not use Taction’s technology. Apple said it plans to appeal the decision.
