Jury orders Apple to pay Taction more than $5.7 billion

A federal jury in San Diego found Apple liable for infringing two Taction patents covering haptic technology used in Apple devices and awarded Taction more than $5.7 billion in damages. Apple said it disagrees with the verdict and award and plans to appeal. The patents concern tactile transducers, which convert electrical signals into physical movement that users can feel. The case focused on Apple’s Taptic Engine, which produces vibration feedback in iPhones and Apple Watches. Taction argued that the technology infringed claims in its patents; the jury found infringement of claims in both patents. The jury did not find that Apple had willfully infringed the patents. The reports do not explain how jurors calculated the damages, and the award’s status could change through an appeal. Apple disputed Taction’s account of the technology, saying its Taptic Engine is fundamentally different and that Apple does not use Taction’s technology. The company said it would appeal the decision. Taction attorney Lance Yang said the verdict vindicated the company’s patent rights. Taction filed the lawsuit in 2021. The dispute concerns U.S. Patent Nos. 10,659,885 and 10,820,117.