Haptic technology company Taction sued Apple in 2021, alleging that it infringed two of its patents. Now, a federal jury in San Diego has awarded Taction more than $5.7 billion in damages. According CNBC“The lawsuit focused on U.S. patent numbers 10,659,885 and 10,820,117, which involve vibration-based haptic transducer technology that helps users feel that a device responds to their input.”
Taction argued that Apple’s Taptic Engine in its Apple Watches and iPhones used technology it had developed without proper licensing, and the jury agreed. It found that Apple had infringed two claims on one patent and another on the other. However, the jury did not find that Apple had intentionally infringed. Taction had accused Apple of reverse engineering the technology of two Kannon gaming headsets.
Apple has said it intends to appeal the decision. We’ve reached out for additional comment and will update the story when we hear back.
