dexinwin Apple has been ordered to pay more than $5.7 billion after a federal jury in California found that the company infringed two patents owned by Taction Technology involving haptic technology used in Apple products.
The verdict was delivered on September 25 in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California. Law360 described the award as the largest patent verdict in U.S. history.
The case centers on two U.S. patents, Nos. 10,659,885 and 10,820,117. The patents cover technology involving controlled vibrations generated through electromagnetic actuation.
Taction Technology argued that technology covered by its patents was incorporated into haptic functions used in Apple's iPhones and Apple Watches.
After deliberating for parts of two days, the federal jury found Apple liable for infringing claims from the two patents and awarded Taction more than $5.7 billion in damages.
Haptic technology plays an important role in modern consumer electronics. Smartphones and smartwatches use vibration feedback to provide users with physical responses when they tap screens, receive notifications or interact with various software functions.
Although haptic systems are largely invisible to consumers, they have become an important part of the user experience in smartphones and wearable devices.
One important aspect of the verdict is that the jury did not find Apple's infringement to be willful. That finding could limit Taction's ability to seek enhanced damages beyond the amount awarded by the jury.
The case also attracted attention because Taction Technology is not a conventional direct competitor to Apple. The litigation focused primarily on intellectual property rights associated with the underlying technology. Bloomberg Law reported that Taction received litigation financing from Gronostaj Investments LLC and Kenosha Investments LP during the case.
The size of the award makes the case particularly significant for the technology industry. A $5.7 billion patent verdict illustrates the potential financial exposure faced by major technology companies when patents covering widely deployed technologies are found to have been infringed.
Apple has faced a number of patent disputes in recent years. In July 2026, a federal court in California entered a final judgment in a separate case involving Masimo, finding Apple liable for infringement of certain claims of another patent and awarding approximately $634.3 million in damages. The court also determined that the infringement was not willful.
The latest verdict, however, involves a substantially larger amount and is likely to receive continued attention as the case moves through subsequent legal proceedings.
The jury verdict does not necessarily mark the end of the litigation. Further court proceedings and potential appeals could affect the final outcome and the amount ultimately paid. The next steps will therefore be closely watched by both the technology and intellectual-property sectors.
The case also highlights the growing importance of patents covering seemingly specialized technologies. As smartphones, smartwatches and other connected devices become increasingly sophisticated, intellectual-property disputes over components and user-interface technologies are likely to remain an important issue for major technology companies.
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