Apple ordered to pay $5.7bn over patented haptics technology

Apple has been ordered to pay $5.7 billion in damages after a US jury found that the technology giant used another company’s patented haptics technology without permission.

Audio technology firm Taction Technology sued Apple in 2021, alleging that it had infringed two patents covering haptic systems that produce vibrations for functions such as receiving messages and pressing buttons.

The technology is used in devices including iPhones and Apple Watches, a BBC report said.

Apple denied using Taction’s technology and said it would appeal the verdict, arguing that its Taptic Engine is fundamentally different from the patented system.

The jury’s verdict came after a federal appeals court revived the case following a 2023 ruling by a San Diego judge that Apple had not infringed Taction’s patents.

The trial was held at the US District Court for the Southern District of California.

Jurors did not find that Apple had wilfully infringed the patents.

Haptics enable users to interact with electronic devices through simulated touch and vibrations.

The technology has become common in smartphones, smartwatches and gaming controllers, which use small motors that respond to electronic signals.

Apple first introduced its Taptic Engine with the Apple Watch in 2014 and has since expanded and improved haptic features across its devices.

Taction, which makes headphones and gaming headsets, holds patents issued in 2020 and argued that Apple’s subsequent improvements to its haptic technology infringed those patents.

The case is among several patent disputes Apple has faced in recent years.

In November 2025, a US jury found Apple had infringed a patent held by medical technology company Masimo and ordered it to pay $634 million in damages.