Technology briefing

Jury says Apple owes record $5.7 billion over iPhone and Watch haptic patents

A San Diego federal jury found Friday that Apple's Taptic Engine infringed two Taction Technology patents and awarded about $5.72 billion. The jury found the infringement was not willful. Apple said it will appeal and disputes the verdict and damages.

By US Brief desk · Updated 2026-09-26T18:10:00-07:00

Exterior of an Apple Store at The Grove shopping mall in Los Angeles (file photo)

Editor’s note: Verdict and patent numbers follow Bloomberg Law (updated Sep 26) and Reuters (Sep 26). The $5,721,961,750 figure is the jury's damages award as reported by patent-litigation coverage of the minute entry; Reuters rounds it as more than $5.7 billion. Willfulness finding (not willful), case caption Taction Tech. Inc. v. Apple Inc., S.D. Cal. No. 3:21-cv-00812, Federal Circuit revival after 2023 dismissal, and counsel quotes follow Bloomberg Law and Reuters. Apple's statement disputing the verdict is from both. Litigation funding details (Burford-linked entities) are from Bloomberg Law. No final judgment is entered yet; Apple plans post-trial challenges and an appeal.

A federal jury in San Diego found Friday that Apple owes San Diego-based Taction Technology more than $5.7 billion for infringing patents tied to haptic feedback in iPhones and Apple Watches. Apple said it will appeal what Reuters described as the largest U.S. patent damages verdict of its kind to date.

What the jury found: Jurors in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California concluded that Apple's Taptic Engine — the component that creates tapping vibrations meant to simulate clicks and other tactile cues — infringed claims from two Taction patents, U.S. Patent Nos. 10,659,885 and 10,820,117, Bloomberg Law reported. The jury also found the infringement was not willful. Coverage of the verdict form puts the damages award at $5,721,961,750.

Apple's response: Apple thanked the jury but said it "strongly disagreed" with the verdict and damages, which it called "entirely unsupported by the facts." In a statement carried by Reuters and Bloomberg Law, Apple said its Taptic Engine "is fundamentally different from Taction's technology, which Taction's own testing of Apple's products confirmed during trial," adding: "Apple does not use Taction's technology, and we will appeal."

Taction's response: Taction attorney Lance Yang told Reuters the firm was "happy the jury found for Taction and vindicated its patent rights." Quinn Emanuel's Tigran Guledjian, also representing Taction, told Bloomberg Law the company "waited five and a half years for this case to get to trial."

How we got here: Taction sued Apple in 2021, saying the patents cover tactile transducers that produce bass-frequency vibrations people can feel. A San Diego judge dismissed the case in 2023; the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit revived it last year, faulting an unwritten evidentiary requirement that kept out parts of Taction's expert case, Bloomberg Law reported. Apple had argued the patents were invalid and that it did not infringe.

Business context: Taction uses related technology in headphones and gaming headsets, Reuters said. Discovery showed case financing from Gronostaj Investments LLC and Kenosha Investments LP, identified in other litigation as linked to Burford Capital, Bloomberg Law reported. Apple had sought to highlight those funding ties during the fight.

Caveats: A jury verdict is not a final judgment. Apple can still seek judgment as a matter of law, a new trial, remittitur of damages, and appellate review. Patent damages of this size are often reduced or overturned on post-trial motions or appeal; neither side's filings after Friday's verdict are fully settled in the public reporting used here.

Why it matters: The award is an outlier even among big tech patent cases and puts a dollar figure on the haptic systems that have become a signature of modern iPhones and Apple Watches. It also keeps pressure on how U.S. courts handle high-stakes hardware patents and litigation finance in consumer-device fights.

What's next: Watch for Apple's post-trial motions in San Diego, whether Judge Todd W. Robinson enters judgment on the jury's figure, and how any appeal to the Federal Circuit treats infringement and damages. Apple's stock reaction and any product redesign claims were not part of the Saturday reporting relied on here.

Method note: US Brief digests are AI-assisted from the US Brief desk. We synthesize reputable reporting with cited sources; we do not invent quotes, figures, or forecasts.

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Jury says Apple owes record $5.7 billion over iPhone and Watch haptic patents

A San Diego federal jury found Friday that Apple's Taptic Engine infringed two Taction Technology patents and awarded about $5.72 billion. The jury found the infringement was not willful. Apple said it will appeal and disputes the verdict and damages.

By US Brief desk · Updated 2026-09-26T18:10:00-07:00

AI-assisted digests from the US Brief desk. Synthesizes reputable reporting with cited sources; not a wire service. Corrections welcomed.

Exterior of an Apple Store at The Grove shopping mall in Los Angeles (file photo)

A federal jury in San Diego found Friday that Apple owes San Diego-based Taction Technology more than $5.7 billion for infringing patents tied to haptic feedback in iPhones and Apple Watches. Apple said it will appeal what Reuters described as the largest U.S. patent damages verdict of its kind to date.

What the jury found: Jurors in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California concluded that Apple's Taptic Engine — the component that creates tapping vibrations meant to simulate clicks and other tactile cues — infringed claims from two Taction patents, U.S. Patent Nos. 10,659,885 and 10,820,117, Bloomberg Law reported. The jury also found the infringement was not willful. Coverage of the verdict form puts the damages award at $5,721,961,750.

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