Patent company Taction won the lawsuit, and Apple was ordered to pay 5.7 billion dollars
A federal jury in San Diego, USA, ruled on Friday that Apple must pay over $5.7 billion in damages for using patented technology from the haptic patent company Taction Technology, according to Caixin. This is the highest patent compensation amount in U.S. history. Taction sued Apple in 2021, claiming that its sales of devices infringing on touch technology improperly utilized related innovations; the case was dismissed in 2023 but was later reinstated by the Federal Circuit Court of Appeals.Apple issued a statement strongly opposing the verdict and the amount of damages, stating that the ruling lacks factual basis. Apple stated that its haptic engine is fundamentally different from Taction's technology, and tests conducted during the trial confirmed this, asserting that it did not use Taction's technology and would appeal. Taction's chief attorney, Lance Yang, thanked the jury and mentioned that the company waited five and a half years for the case to go to trial.The core of the lawsuit revolves around two vibration-based haptic sensor technologies designed to allow users to perceive the device's response to input. Taction claims that Apple’s haptic engine in the Apple Watch and iPhone used its inventions without authorization. Apple's haptic engine was launched in 2014 with the Apple Watch and was used in the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus the following year, replacing the older vibration motors. Since Apple insists on appealing, the amount of damages will need to be determined first by the presiding judge before entering the appeals process for final confirmation.
