Apple ordered to pay $5.7 billion in Taction patent dispute

MUMBAI: Apple’s haptic battle has delivered a shock of its own, with a US jury ordering the technology giant to pay more than $5.7 billion to San Diego-based Taction Technology over patents linked to vibration technology in iPhones and Apple Watches.

The jury found that Apple’s Taptic Engine, the technology responsible for the taps and vibrations users feel on its devices, infringed two patents held by Taction, according to Reuters. Apple has rejected the finding and said it plans to appeal the verdict.

The case centres on Taction’s patented haptic technology, which the San Diego-based company develops for products including headphones and gaming headsets. Taction sued Apple in 2021, alleging that the company had used its patented vibration technology without authorisation.

Apple denied the allegations and argued that Taction’s patents were invalid.

Apple has also challenged the damages awarded by the jury. The company said its Taptic Engine is different from Taction’s technology and argued that testing of Apple products during the trial supported its position.

Apple further maintained that it does not use Taction’s technology and said it would challenge the verdict through an appeal.

Taction, meanwhile, welcomed the decision. Lead attorney Lance Yang said the jury had found in favour of the company and upheld its patent rights.

The latest verdict follows a legal path that has already swung in Apple’s favour once. In 2023, a San Diego federal judge ruled that Apple had not infringed Taction’s patents.

That decision did not end the dispute. The US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit revived the case last year, allowing the patent claims to proceed to trial and setting the stage for the latest jury decision.

The jury verdict marks the latest chapter in a patent dispute that began in 2021. Apple’s planned appeal means the $5.7 billion award is not necessarily the final word in the case, with the litigation now set to move into another phase.

The size of the award puts the Taptic Engine at the centre of an unusually costly technology dispute, with a feature most users experience as a simple tap or vibration now carrying billions of dollars in legal stakes.

Apple is also facing a separate legal battle with OpenAI. The company sued the ChatGPT maker in July, alleging trade-secret theft and breach of contract linked to hardware development efforts. Apple has accused former employees of accessing or bringing confidential hardware information to OpenAI.

OpenAI has denied the allegations and has sought to have the case dismissed. That dispute remains before the courts, separately from the Taction patent case.

For Apple, the Taction verdict therefore adds another legal front as it prepares to challenge a ruling that has put a multibillion-dollar price tag on the technology behind the familiar buzz and tap of its devices.