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A federal jury in San Diego has handed Apple a major courtroom defeat, awarding Taction Technology more than $5.7 billion in damages after finding infringement of claims from two haptics patents. The verdict arrived Friday in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California.

Taction, a haptics technology company, sued Apple in 2021. Its complaint alleged that Apple was improperly “capitalizing on Taction’s innovation and success” through sales of devices that infringed Taction’s vibration technology.

The case did not move directly from filing to trial. Apple initially secured dismissal in 2023, but the Federal Circuit later revived the case.

At issue were U.S. Patent Nos. 10,659,885 and 10,820,117. Both patents involve tactile transducer technology based on vibration, which helps users feel a device responding when they provide input.

The patents address technology that produces a tactile response through vibration. Taction maintained that its inventions were being used in Apple devices without the required permission.

Taction argued that Apple’s “Taptic Engine” used those inventions without a proper license or authority. The engine is embedded in Apple Watches and iPhones, placing those products at the center of Taction’s allegations.

The jury trial began Sept. 14. After the proceedings concluded, the seven jurors deliberated for two days before returning to the courtroom at 1:15 p.m. PT on Friday.

They delivered a verdict for Taction and awarded the company more than $5.7 billion. Although the jurors found that Apple infringed claims from the two patents, they did not find that the infringement was willful.

Friday’s decision followed a trial focused on the two identified patents and Apple’s use of haptic technology. The jurors ruled for Taction on infringement and damages while declining to find willful conduct.

Apple rejected both the verdict and the size of the award. “While we thank the jury for their consideration, we strongly disagree with today’s verdict and the damages awarded, which are entirely unsupported by the facts,” Apple told CNBC in a statement.

Apple also challenged the technical basis for Taction’s case. “Apple’s Taptic Engine is fundamentally different from Taction’s technology, which Taction’s own testing of Apple’s products confirmed during trial.”

The company flatly denied using the patented technology and promised another round in court. “Apple does not use Taction’s technology, and we will appeal.”

That response points to a continued legal fight following the jury’s decision. Apple’s promised appeal comes after a case that had already survived an earlier dismissal and subsequent revival by the Federal Circuit.

Taction’s legal team celebrated the verdict as validation of the company’s patent claims. “We’re happy the jury found for Taction and vindicated its patent rights,” lead counsel Lance Yang, a partner at Quinn Emanuel, told CNBC.

The verdict followed a lengthy wait that began before Taction filed the lawsuit in 2021. Yang said the company had waited five and a half years for the dispute to reach trial.

“Taction waited five and a half years for this case to get to trial, so it was a long time coming.”

The result gives Taction a damages award exceeding $5.7 billion, but Apple has made clear that it considers the verdict and award unsupported. The two sides also remain sharply divided over whether the Taptic Engine uses Taction’s technology.

For Taction, the jury’s answer favored its infringement case and vindicated its patent rights. For Apple, the response was equally direct: its products do not use Taction’s technology, its engine is fundamentally different, and the company intends to challenge the result.

DISCLAIMER: GoldInvestors.news is not a registered investment, legal or tax advisor or broker/dealer. All investment/financial opinions expressed by GoldInvestors.news are from the personal research and experience of the owner of the site and are intended as educational material. Although best efforts are made to ensure that all information is accurate and up to date, occasionally unintended errors and misprints may occur.