US jury says Apple owes record $5.7B in haptic technology patent case

A federal jury in San Diego found on Friday that Apple's Taptic Engine, the component that creates the taps and vibrations users feel on iPhones and Apple Watches, infringed two patents owned by Taction Technology, and ordered Apple to pay more than $5.7 billion. Apple said it will appeal the verdict, which Reuters describes as the largest patent award of its kind in US history.

What the jury found

Jurors at the US District Court for the Southern District of California deliberated for parts of two days before concluding that Apple infringed claims in US Patent Nos. 10,659,885 and 10,820,117. Both patents describe tactile transducers that produce low-frequency vibrations perceived through touch. The dispute centred on the Taptic Engine, the component that delivers the taps and vibrations users feel when they interact with an iPhone or an Apple Watch. The jury also found that the infringement was not willful, which removes one route for Taction to seek enhanced damages: under US patent law a judge may increase an award by up to three times in sufficiently serious cases.

Apple's response

"Apple's Taptic Engine is fundamentally different from Taction's technology, which Taction's own testing of Apple's products confirmed during trial," Apple said in a statement. "Apple does not use Taction's technology, and we will appeal." Taction's attorney welcomed the outcome: "We're happy the jury found for Taction and vindicated its patent rights."

How the case reached a jury

Taction, which uses its technology in headphones and gaming headsets, sued Apple in 2021. The district court ruled for Apple in August 2023, granting summary judgment of non-infringement after excluding part of Taction's expert testimony and adopting a narrow reading of the patent language. The US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit revived the case in August 2025, holding that the lower court had misused its discretion and had construed the claims too narrowly. Bloomberg Law reported that the litigation was financed by Gronostaj Investments LLC and Kenosha Investments LP, identified in a separate case as an indirect subsidiary of Burford Capital.

What happens next

The case now returns to Judge Todd W. Robinson for post-trial proceedings, where Apple can challenge the $5.7 billion award before formally filing the appeal it has announced. The sum exceeds earlier record patent verdicts in the United States.