A federal jury in California found that Apple infringed two Taction Technology haptics patents and awarded 5.72 billion dollars. Jurors found no willful infringement. The award is not a collected payment or final judgment; Apple said it disagreed and would appeal. The case had returned to trial after an earlier summary judgment for Apple was overturned. A 2023 summary judgment for Apple was overturned before this trial.
A federal jury in the Southern District of California found that Apple infringed two haptics patents held by Taction Technology. It awarded Taction 5,721,961,750 dollars but found the infringement was not willful. The dispute concerns the Taptic Engine that produces tactile feedback in iPhones and Apple Watches. The sum is a jury award, not money already paid by Apple.[1], [2]
Taction filed suit in 2021. Apple won summary judgment in 2023, but an appeals court overturned that result and returned the dispute for trial. The new verdict came on the ninth trial day and addressed infringement and damages for specified claims of the two patents. The judge's minute entry also records that Apple's invalidity defenses failed before the jury.[1]
The damages line does not divide the award by patent, product or period. No final judgment had yet been entered on the docket, so the stated sum is not a collected recovery. Apple said the verdict and damages lacked support in the facts and that it would appeal. The finding that infringement was not willful is a separate part of the verdict; it does not undo the infringement finding.[1], [2]
