Apple initially won the case in 2023 when a federal judge ruled that it had not infringed the patents
Apple has been ordered to pay more than $5.7 billion to Taction Technology after a US federal jury found that the technology behind Apple’s haptic feedback in iPhones and Apple Watches infringed two Taction patents.
The iPhone maker has rejected the verdict and said it will appeal, according to a CNBC report. “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 told the publication. The company also disputed the damages awarded by the jury, saying its Taptic Engine is different from Taction’s technology.
Taction Technology sued Apple in 2021 in the US District Court for the Southern District of California. 10,659,885 and 10,820,117, covering vibration-based technology that allows users to feel a device respond to their input. Apple initially won the case in 2023 when a federal judge ruled that it had not infringed the patents. The jury delivered its verdict on Friday, September 25 after a trial that began on September 14. It found that Apple infringed claims from the two Taction patents and awarded Taction more than $5.7 billion.
“Apple’s Taptic Engine is fundamentally different from Taction’s technology, which Taction’s own testing of Apple’s products confirmed during trial.
Apple does not use Taction’s technology, and we will appeal,” the company told CNBC The jury, however, did not find that Apple’s infringement was willful. “We’re happy the jury found for Taction and vindicated its patent rights,” the company’s lead counsel Lance Yang told CNBC. The case focused on two patents, US Patent Nos. Taction argued that Apple’s Taptic Engine, which produces the tapping and vibration feedback on devices such as iPhones and Apple Watches, used technology covered by its patents without permission. However, the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit later revived the case, allowing it to go to trial. Apple strongly disagreed with the decision. Taction welcomes the verdict Taction’s lawyers welcomed the jury’s decision. “Taction waited five and a half years for this case to get to trial, so it was a long time coming. You use AI every day. Now get your AI Quotient. Take the AIQ test.