Apple Ordered to Compensate $5.7 Billion Following Patent Infringement Ruling
SEPTEMBER 29 – A United States jury has mandated that Apple pay $5.7 billion (£4.3 billion) in damages after determining the tech giant utilized proprietary technology from another company without consent.
The claim was brought forth by Taction Technology, an audio firm, in 2021, which asserted that Apple had encroached upon two of its patents related to haptic systems.
These systems facilitate vibrations for various actions, including receiving notifications or activating buttons.
This technology is integral to products such as the iPhone and Apple Watch.
Apple has countered that it did not employ Taction’s vibration technology and intends to contest the ruling.
“While we appreciate the jury’s deliberation, we vehemently disagree with the verdict and the damages assessed, which lack any factual basis,” the company stated.
“The Taptic Engine developed by Apple is fundamentally distinct from Taction’s technology, a fact substantiated by Taction’s own testing during the trial.”
Haptic feedback technology enables users to engage with devices through simulated tactile sensations produced by vibrations.
This innovation has become essential in contemporary devices, with smartphones, wearable technology, and gaming consoles incorporating diminutive motors that respond to specific electronic signals.
Apple’s haptic feedback system, known as the “Taptic Engine,” was initially launched with the Apple Watch in 2014.
Since its introduction, Apple has enhanced this technology, expanding the capabilities of haptic feedback across its device lineup.
Taction, a company specializing in headphones and gaming headsets, contended that Apple’s advancements violated patents issued to them in 2020.
In its formal complaint, Taction argued that Apple’s superior haptic vibrations have significantly enhanced user experience, thereby allowing the tech titan to profit from Taction’s innovative contributions by marketing devices that infringe upon its patents.
The firm also alleged that Apple had utilized its inventions “without obtaining proper licensing or authority.”
In 2023, a judge in San Diego ruled that Apple had not infringed Taction’s patents.
Nonetheless, the case was subsequently escalated to a federal appellate court, culminating in a jury trial in September at the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California, where the jury ultimately sided with Taction.
In Friday’s finding, jurors concluded that Apple had not willfully infringed on the patents at issue.
This verdict is indicative of a broader trend, as Apple has faced multiple similar lawsuits in recent years.
In November 2025, a judge ordered Apple to pay $634 million to medical technology company Masimo after it was found to have violated a patent related to blood-oxygen monitoring technology.
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