Apple Hit with $5.7 Billion Verdict in Taction Technology Haptic Patent Case

A federal jury in San Diego has ordered Apple to pay Taction Technology $5,721,961,750, more than $5.7 billion, after finding that the Taptic Engine in iPhone and Apple Watch models infringed two of Taction's haptic patents. The verdict came on Friday, September 25, in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California.

Taction Technology is the plaintiff.

Taction Technology Inc. is a San Diego company that makes audio and gaming peripherals, such as headphones and gaming headsets, built around its haptic technology. It sued Apple in 2021, alleging that Apple used its patented designs in the Taptic Engine, the component that produces the taps and vibrations users feel on an iPhone or Apple Watch. According to Reuters, Taction accused Apple of buying and reverse-engineering two Kannon headsets that used its technology. Apple denied the allegations.

What each haptic patent covers.

The two patents, U.S. Patent Nos. 10,659,885 and 10,820,117, both describe tactile transducers that produce bass-frequency vibrations a person can perceive through touch, using damped vibration to shape what the user feels. The jury found that Apple infringed claims 17 and 19 of the '885 patent and claim 16 of the '117 patent, and it rejected Apple's argument that those claims were invalid.

The jury found the infringement was not willful.

Jurors deliberated over parts of two days. They answered no on willfulness for both patents, which limits Taction's ability to seek enhanced damages. The verdict form does not break the $5.7 billion figure down by patent, product or time period. Reuters described the award as the largest U.S. verdict of its kind to date.

A case revived on appeal.

The case, Taction Technology Inc. v. Apple Inc., No. 3:21-cv-00812, is before U.S. District Judge Todd W. Robinson. The court granted Apple summary judgment of noninfringement in 2023, but the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit vacated that ruling in 2025 and sent the case back for trial.

Apple says it will appeal.

In a statement, Apple said it strongly disagreed with the verdict and the damages awarded, which it called entirely unsupported by the facts. "Apple's Taptic Engine is fundamentally different from Taction's technology, which Taction's own testing of Apple's products confirmed during trial," the company said. "Apple does not use Taction's technology, and we will appeal." Taction attorney Lance Yang said, "We're happy the jury found for Taction and vindicated its patent rights." Post-trial motions before Judge Robinson are expected before any appeal to the Federal Circuit.

Apple has faced haptics patent claims before: Immersion sued it over haptic technology in iPhones, Apple Watches and MacBooks, and the companies settled for an undisclosed amount. Apple is also planning to appeal a separate $634 million jury verdict won by Masimo over Apple Watch blood-oxygen patents.