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Apple Ordered to Pay $5.7bn in Taction Patent Case

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A California jury found Apple infringed two Taction Technology haptic-feedback patents and ordered $5.7bn in damages. Apple says it will appeal.

A federal jury in the Southern District of California has ordered Apple to pay more than $5.7bn for using patented technology owned by Taction Technology, a San Diego-based company, to power the haptic feedback in its devices. Haptic feedback is the vibration users feel when a notification arrives or a button is pressed.

The jury found that Apple infringed two patents held by Taction. It also found that the infringement was not wilful, rejecting Taction's claim that Apple knowingly ignored the patents. Apple said it plans to appeal the verdict, which was returned on Friday.

"We're happy the jury found for Taction and vindicated its patent rights," said Lance Yang, an attorney for the company, after the decision.

The verdict closes one chapter of a legal fight that started in 2021, when Taction first sued Apple. In its original 31-page complaint, the company argued that Apple was building its commercial success on Taction's work. "Apple is capitalising on Taction's innovation and success by selling devices that infringe Taction's patents," the filing said. It added that Apple was "utilising Taction's patented inventions without license or authority" and that it had brought the case "to remedy Apple's infringement."

Taction also alleged that Apple "at a minimum believed there was a high probability that the accused products were covered by Taction's patents, but willfully blinded itself" to those patents and to the infringing nature of the products. The jury did not agree on that point, concluding the violation was not wilful.

The case has moved back and forth through the courts. In 2023, a federal judge ruled that Apple had not infringed Taction's patents. An appeals court revived the lawsuit last year, setting the stage for the trial that produced Friday's award.

Apple pushed back on the finding by drawing a line between its own hardware and Taction's designs. "Apple's Taptic Engine is fundamentally different from Taction's technology, which Taction's own testing of Apple's products confirmed during trial," the company said in response to the verdict.

A verdict during a leadership handover

The ruling lands as Apple works through a change at the top. In September, John Ternus took over as chief executive from Tim Cook, who had run the Cupertino, California-based company for 15 years. The handover comes as Apple trails other large technology firms in bringing its artificial intelligence products to market.

Investors reacted to the decision. Apple shares fell about 2 percent as trading opened on Monday.

Apple patent verdict, Taction Technology, haptic feedback patents, $5.7bn damages, Taptic Engine, iPhone patent case, Apple appeal, John Ternus

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