Apple faces $5.7bn payout after patent infringement verdict

Apple has been ordered to pay $5.7bn, equivalent to £4.3bn, in damages following a US jury decision that the company used another firm’s technology without permission. The verdict concludes a lengthy legal dispute over haptics systems, which are used to create vibrations for actions such as receiving a message or pressing a button. These features are integrated into devices including the iPhone and Apple Watch.

Taction Technology, an audio firm that manufactures headphones and gaming headsets, initiated the claim in 2021. The company alleged that Apple infringed two of its patents for haptic systems. Taction argued that by producing improved haptic vibrations, Apple was able to enhance its overall user experience. The firm stated that Apple was capitalising on its innovation and success by selling devices that violated its patents. Taction also accused the tech giant of using its inventions without a license or authority.

Apple maintains that it did not use Taction’s vibration technology and has indicated it will appeal the verdict. The company stated that it strongly disagrees with the decision and the damages awarded, describing them as unsupported by the facts. Apple argued that its Taptic Engine is fundamentally different from Taction’s technology. It noted that Taction’s own testing of Apple’s products during the trial confirmed this distinction. The Taptic Engine system first debuted with the Apple Watch in 2014, and Apple has since improved the underlying system and expanded haptics across its devices.

The legal proceedings have seen several developments. In 2023, a San Diego judge ruled that Apple did not infringe upon Taction’s patents. However, an appeal was taken up by a federal appeal circuit, leading to a jury trial in September at the US District Court for the Southern District of California. The jury found in favour of Taction. In Friday’s verdict, jurors did not find that Apple had infringed the patents willingly. This case is one of many similar lawsuits that the tech giant has defended itself against in recent years. In November 2025, a judge ordered Apple to pay $634m to medical tech firm Masimo after a jury found it had infringed a patent for blood-oxygen reading technology.