Apple has been ordered to pay more than $5.7 billion to San Diego-based technology company Taction after a US jury found that Apple’s haptic technology infringed two patents.
The jury ruled that Apple’s Taptic Engine, the technology responsible for creating tapping and vibration feedback in devices, infringed two patents held by Taction. The verdict was delivered on Friday and represents one of the largest patent-related awards against a technology company in the United States.
Taction, which develops haptic technology used in products including headphones and gaming headsets, filed the lawsuit against Apple in 2021. The company had alleged that Apple used its patented technology in the haptic feedback systems incorporated into devices such as iPhones and Apple Watches.
The case centres on haptic feedback, which allows electronic devices to provide physical sensations such as taps, vibrations or other tactile responses when users interact with them.
Apple has said it will appeal the verdict. The company’s planned appeal means the legal dispute is not necessarily over, and the final financial outcome could change depending on further court proceedings.
The verdict highlights the growing importance of intellectual property disputes involving technologies that are increasingly built into consumer electronics. Haptic systems are widely used across smartphones, smartwatches, gaming products and other connected devices to provide physical feedback alongside visual and audio responses.
Taction’s lawsuit, filed five years ago, has now resulted in a multibillion-dollar jury award, putting the company’s patents and Apple’s Taptic Engine at the centre of a major technology patent dispute.
