Federal Jury Orders Apple to Pay $5.7 Billion Over Haptic Patents
Jurors found that Apple's Taptic Engine infringed on two patents held by Taction, though the infringement was not willful.
A federal jury in San Diego has ordered Apple to pay more than $5.7 billion in damages to haptic technology company Taction after finding that Apple infringed on two patents, as reported by The Verge (https://www.theverge.com/tech/1001118/apple-hit-with-5-7-billion-in-damages-over-haptic-patents).
Taction filed suit against Apple in 2021, alleging that the company used its tactile feedback technology without a license in the Taptic Engine components found in iPhones and Apple Watches. The lawsuit focused on U.S. Patent Nos. 10,659,885 and 10,820,117, both of which cover vibration-based tactile transducer technology that provides sensory feedback to user input.
The jury found Apple liable for infringing two claims in one patent and one claim in the other, but determined that Apple did not willfully infringe. During the case, Taction accused Apple of reverse-engineering the technology from two Kannon gaming headsets.
Apple stated that it plans to appeal the decision.
Sources
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