On Friday, a federal jury in San Diego ruled that Taction Technology is entitled to over $5.7 billion in damages, finding that Apple infringed on claims related to two haptic technology patents.
Taction sued Apple in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California in 2021. According to the complaint, the company alleged that Apple improperly “leveraged Taction’s innovations and success” by selling devices that infringed on its vibration technology. Apple initially won a dismissal in 2023, but the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit later reinstated the case.
Apple stated in a statement to Bloomberg Law that it will appeal the ruling and said it "did not use Taction's technology."
Representatives from Apple and Taction did not immediately respond to CNBC's request for comment.
This lawsuit centers on U.S. Patents No. 10,659,885 and 10,820,117, both of which relate to vibration-based haptic transducer technology that enables users to feel the device’s response to input. Taction contends that Apple’s “Taptic Engine,” integrated into the Apple Watch and iPhone, uses its invention without proper licensing or authorization.
The jury trial began on September 14, and the seven jurors deliberated for two days after the庭审 concluded. At 1:15 p.m. Pacific Time on Friday, they returned to court and delivered a verdict in favor of Taction.
The jury did not find Apple's infringement to be willful.
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