Apple Hit With $5.72bn Haptics Patent Verdict
A US jury found Apple infringed Taction Technology patents covering haptic feedback in iPhones and Apple Watches, and Apple says it will appeal.
What you need to know
- A California jury awarded Taction Technology $5.72bn after finding Apple infringed two haptics patents.
- The case concerns Taptic Engine feedback in iPhones and Apple Watches.
- Apple disputes the verdict and damages award, and says it will appeal.
Apple has been ordered to pay $5,721,961,750 (£4.2bn, approximately) after a US jury found it infringed two patents owned by haptics firm Taction Technology.
The verdict was returned on Friday, 25 September, in the US District Court for the Southern District of California. Reuters described it as the largest US verdict of its kind to date. Apple said it will appeal.
The case centres on the Taptic Engine, the hardware responsible for the taps and vibrations felt when using features such as alerts and interface controls on iPhones and Apple Watches. The jury found Apple infringed claims in US patents 10,659,885 and 10,820,117, while rejecting Apple’s arguments that the patents were invalid.
Apple was not found to have infringed wilfully.
“While we thank the jury for their consideration, we strongly disagree with today's verdict and the damages awarded, which are entirely unsupported by the facts.”
Apple added that its Taptic Engine is “fundamentally different” from Taction’s technology and said it does not use Taction’s technology.
A long-running dispute
Taction filed its lawsuit in 2021, alleging that Apple had used its patented haptic technology without authorisation. Apple initially won summary judgment in 2023, but the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit overturned that decision in August 2025 and returned the case for further proceedings.
Taction’s original complaint named several older Apple Watch and iPhone models, including the iPhone 8 through to the iPhone 12 range and the 2020 iPhone SE. However, a definitive final list of products included in the damages calculation has not been confirmed.
The patents cover tactile transducers designed to produce bass-frequency vibrations that can be felt through touch. Their claims describe an electromagnetic system with coils, magnets, an inertial mass, flexures and ferrofluid damping.
What happens next
The jury award is not necessarily the final amount Apple will pay. A final judgment had not yet been entered in the latest case-record reporting, and the damages could change through post-trial motions or Apple’s appeal.
There is no reported injunction requiring Apple to stop selling iPhones or Apple Watches, and no confirmed impact on UK availability or pricing. For now, this is a major legal and financial setback rather than a change to the devices already in customers’ hands.
Why it matters
There is no confirmed immediate change for UK iPhone or Apple Watch owners: no sales ban, recall, software change or price rise has been reported. But if the verdict survives appeal or leads to a licensing deal, it could affect the cost or design of future Apple hardware using haptic technology.
Sources and evidence (7)
- patentlitigator.com (other)
- streetinsider.com (other)
- macrumors.com (other)
- cafc.uscourts.gov (other)
- patentimages.storage.googleapis.com (other)
- insight.rpxcorp.com (other)
- law.justia.com (other)