Apple has been ordered to pay $5.7 billion in damages after a U.S. federal jury found that technology used in the Taptic Engine infringed patents held by haptics company Taction Technology.
A jury in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas found Apple infringed two patents covering haptic technology, resulting in one of the largest patent damages awards the company has faced.
Apple disputes the verdict and plans to appeal, meaning the $5.7 billion award is not necessarily the amount the company will ultimately have to pay.
The case was brought by Taction Technology, a company founded by engineers with experience developing tactile and haptic systems. Its patents cover technology related to producing vibrations and tactile feedback using transducers.
Taction alleged that Apple’s Taptic Engine used technology covered by its intellectual property across a range of products, including the iPhone, Apple Watch and MacBook.
The Taptic Engine is Apple’s name for the linear actuator used to create precise physical feedback across its devices. On iPhone, it produces everything from the subtle response felt when interacting with interface elements to vibration alerts and haptic feedback from the keyboard.
Apple has used versions of the technology for more than a decade. The Taptic Engine first appeared in Apple Watch and the 2015 MacBook before becoming a major part of the iPhone with iPhone 6s.
The jury concluded that Apple infringed U.S. patents held by Taction and awarded the company approximately $5.7 billion in damages.
The size of the award reflects the enormous number of Apple devices accused of incorporating the disputed technology over the period covered by the case.
Apple has rejected Taction’s claims and argues that its products do not infringe the patents.
In a statement following the verdict, Apple confirmed that it intends to appeal, setting up what could be a lengthy continuation of the dispute through the U.S. court system.
An appeal could result in the verdict being upheld, overturned or the damages being reduced, so the jury’s decision should not be treated as a final $5.7 billion payment from Apple to Taction.
The case is particularly notable because haptic feedback has become deeply integrated throughout Apple’s hardware and software.
Apple replaced the traditional physical Home button on later iPhone models with a solid-state design that used the Taptic Engine to simulate the sensation of a click. MacBook trackpads similarly use haptics to create the feeling that the otherwise largely stationary surface is physically clicking beneath a user’s finger.
The company has continued expanding its use of haptics across iOS, watchOS and macOS, making the underlying hardware an important part of how Apple devices feel to use.
The verdict does not require Apple to remove the Taptic Engine from its products, and there has been no indication that the case will affect the availability of current iPhone, Apple Watch or Mac models.
For now, the dispute moves into its next phase, with Apple preparing to challenge both the infringement finding and the multibillion-dollar damages award.