Jury Orders Apple to Pay Record $5.7B Patent Damages

A US jury has ordered Apple to pay more than $5.7 billion for infringing patents behind the haptic technology in iPhones and Apple Watches.
The San Diego federal jury ruled Friday that Apple’s Taptic Engine, which creates the tapping vibrations users feel, infringed two patents held by Taction Technology. The $5.72 billion award is the largest patent-infringement verdict in US history, topping the previous $2.54 billion record from 2016.
Taction, a small San Diego company that uses its technology in headphones and gaming headsets, first sued in 2021. A judge dismissed the case in 2023, but a federal appeals court revived it last year.
The jury did not find Apple’s infringement willful, which limits extra penalties.
Apple said it will appeal. “Apple’s Taptic Engine is fundamentally different from Taction’s technology,” the company said in a statement to Reuters.
Taction attorney Lance Yang said the jury “vindicated its patent rights.” A final judgment has not yet been entered, and the case will likely move through years of appeals.
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