A federal jury in San Diego has awarded haptics technology company Taction $5.7 billion in damages against Apple, finding that the company's Taptic Engine infringed two of its patents. Apple's Taptic Engine generates vibrations in iPhones and Apple Watches, creating tactile feedback when users interact with the screen or receive notifications. This verdict stands as one of the largest patent damages awards against Apple, though the company has signaled plans to appeal.
Taction filed suit in 2021, alleging that Apple reverse-engineered the technology from two Kannon gaming headsets. According to The Verge, the jury found Apple infringed on two claims in one patent and one claim in a second patent—both covering vibration-based tactile transducer technology used to generate haptic sensations on U.S. Patent Nos. 10,659,885 and 10,820,117. But the jury did not find that Apple willfully infringed the patents, a determination that could factor into the company's appeal and any potential damages adjustment.
If this award holds, Apple faces significant financial liability on a feature now ubiquitous across its smartphone and wearable product lines. While large tech companies frequently absorb patent damages as a cost of doing business, a judgment of this scale could put pressure on margins for iPhones and Apple Watches. Apple gains stronger appeal grounds from the jury's lack of a willful infringement finding, though the clear infringement determination suggests the core legal vulnerability remains substantial. Whether Taction's victory ultimately survives appeals will determine whether Apple must license the technology going forward, pay damages, or redesign the feature in future devices.
Patent appeals typically take years.