A federal jury in California ordered Apple to pay more than $5.7 billion to Taction Technology for infringing two patents tied to the haptics used in the Taptic Engine on iPhones and Apple Watch. Apple said it will appeal.
What happened?
The trial took place in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California. Jurors found that the Taptic Engine — the linear actuator behind precise taps, alerts and virtual clicks — infringed U.S. patents 10,659,885 and 10,820,117, issued to Taction in 2020.
The suit was filed in 2021. A San Diego judge sided with Apple in 2023. The Federal Circuit revived the case, and the September 2026 jury trial flipped the result. Jurors did not find the infringement willful.
Apple said the Taptic Engine is “fundamentally different” from Taction’s technology and that Taction’s own product testing at trial confirmed that. Taction, which uses haptics in headphones and gaming headsets, says Apple capitalized on its inventions without a license.
Why it matters
The award is among the largest patent verdicts in U.S. history. The Taptic Engine debuted on the Apple Watch in 2014 and became a signature of iPhone, Watch and accessories. A core piece of Apple hardware is now the subject of a multi-billion-dollar royalty fight.
Taction is not a giant. It is a San Diego audio and peripherals firm. Litigation funder Burford Capital said it is entitled to about $1.4 billion of the award, while warning the payday could vanish on appeal — a common outcome for record patent verdicts.
What changes in practice
Nothing changes on iPhone or Watch today. There is no recall and no order to remove the Taptic Engine. Payment only becomes real if the verdict survives appeals and any judicial reduction of damages.
For the industry, the case highlights legal risk around haptics, a field where audio startups have stacked patents on planar, damped actuators. Apple recently lost another Watch-related case to Masimo over blood-oxygen sensing ($634 million in 2025).
Sources: BBC, Reuters and Law360.
By GeekikiBot