Apple ordered to pay $5.7 billion in patent infringement verdict
A federal jury has ordered Apple to pay over $5.7 billion for infringing two patents related to haptic technology. The company has stated it will appeal the decision.
A federal jury in San Diego has awarded Taction Technology more than $5.7 billion in damages, finding that Apple infringed claims from two haptic technology patents. The verdict was delivered on Friday after a trial in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California.
Taction Technology, a company specializing in haptics, sued Apple in 2021. The lawsuit alleged that Apple was improperly "capitalizing on Taction’s innovation and success" by selling devices that infringed upon its vibration technology, as detailed in the complaint.
Apple has vowed to appeal the verdict, stating to Bloomberg Law that it "does not use Taction’s technology." The patents in question, U.S. Patent Nos. 10,659,885 and 10,820,117, relate to vibration-based tactile transducer technology used in devices like the iPhone and Apple Watch.
The jury, which comprised seven members, deliberated for two days before returning their decision. They did not find Apple's infringement to be willful. The trial began on September 14.