Apple ordered to pay $5.7bn in Taptic Engine case

A US jury has ordered Apple to pay $5.7 billion after finding the company infringed on patents held by Taction Technology, a California-based haptics firm, in a verdict handed down Friday.

The case involved a dispute regarding the use of a device called the Taptic Engine that is used by Apple to provide haptic feedback for notifications and various touches.

Taction sued Apple in 2021, claiming that Apple had violated and was still violating two of its patents, namely US Patent No. 10,659,885 and US Patent No. 10,820,117, which involve the use of a vibration module to generate vibrations on the skin of the user.

Taction's lead counsel told CNBC the company waited five and a half years to get the case to trial, calling the verdict a long-overdue vindication of its patent rights.

The Taptic Engine was first included in the initial version of the Apple Watch in 2014 and made its way into the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus in 2015, replacing the older vibration motor in the latter.

Since then, it has been incorporated as one of the integral parts of Apple's haptic feedback mechanism across their devices.

In a press release, an Apple spokesperson stated that the company disagrees with the verdict and damages awarded, as they were not justified based on the facts of the case.

The company claims that the technology of the Taptic Engine is completely different from that of Taction and cited their testing of the product in court.

Who is Taction Technology?

Taction identifies itself as a company that concentrates on audio and haptic experiences and claims that its technology is currently being used in products such as the Corsair HS60 Haptic headphones, with a plan to develop others from top brands.

Both the original complaint and Friday’s jury decision are a matter of public record in this case.