Apple ordered to pay $5.7bn after losing vibration tech patent suit

Apple has been hit with a $5.7bn (£4.3bn) damages verdict after a US jury determined the company used haptic vibration technology belonging to another firm without permission, according to the BBC.

The ruling came in a long-running patent dispute brought by Taction Technology, an audio company that makes headphones and gaming headsets. Taction argued that Apple's vibration systems, which produce the tactile buzzes felt when a user gets a notification or taps a button, relied on two patents the smaller firm had secured in 2020.

Apple pushed back strongly against the decision, saying it plans to appeal. In a statement reported by the BBC, the company said it "strongly disagree[d]" with both the verdict and the size of the damages, describing them as "entirely unsupported by the facts." Apple maintained that its own vibration system, known as the Taptic Engine, works on different principles than Taction's technology, adding that testing carried out by Taction on Apple's own products during the trial backed up that distinction.

Haptic feedback has become a standard feature across consumer electronics, letting people sense a physical response from devices such as phones, smartwatches and game controllers through tiny internal motors that react to electronic signals. Apple's version of this technology, branded the Taptic Engine, first appeared in the original Apple Watch in 2014 and has since been refined and expanded across the company's product lineup.

According to the BBC, Taction filed its lawsuit in 2021, alleging that upgrades Apple made to its haptic systems drew on innovations covered by Taction's patents. The company claimed in its complaint that these enhancements helped Apple deliver a better overall experience to customers, and accused the tech giant of benefiting commercially from its patented work without proper authorization or a licensing agreement.

The case has taken a winding path through the courts. A judge in San Diego initially sided with Apple in 2023, finding no infringement had occurred. Taction appealed that outcome, and a federal appeals court later revived the case, sending it to a jury trial held in September at the US District Court for the Southern District of California. That trial produced the verdict against Apple, though jurors did not conclude that the company had infringed the patents intentionally, the BBC reported.

This is not the only major patent setback Apple has faced recently. Just last month, a judge ordered the company to pay $634m to medical technology firm Masimo after a separate jury found Apple had infringed a patent tied to blood-oxygen sensing features in its devices, according to the BBC.

The Taction case adds to a pattern of intellectual property battles Apple has had to fight in recent years as rivals and smaller firms accuse the company of incorporating their innovations into its widely used hardware. Apple has indicated it will continue contesting the latest ruling through the appeals process.