Apple Ordered to Pay Taction Over $5.7 Billion in Haptic Patent Case

A federal jury in San Diego has awarded haptics technology company Taction more than $5.7 billion in damages in its patent lawsuit against Apple, according to The Verge.

Taction sued Apple in 2021, alleging that the company infringed two patents. The case concerned U.S. Patent Nos. 10,659,885 and 10,820,117, which cover vibration-based tactile transducer technology that lets users feel a device responding to their input, CNBC reported.

Taction argued that Apple used its technology in the Taptic Engine in Apple Watches and iPhones without a proper license. The jury found that Apple infringed two claims in one patent and one claim in the other, but did not find that the infringement was willful.

Taction also accused Apple of reverse-engineering the technology from two Kannon gaming headsets. Apple said it intends to appeal the decision. The Verge said it had sought additional comment and would update its report if it received a response.