In a high-stakes intellectual property verdict that has sent ripples through the global tech industry, a US jury has ruled that technology giant Apple must pay $5.7 billion (£4.3 billion) in damages to a small audio company whose patented haptic technology the jury found Apple used without proper authorization.
The legal dispute stretches back to 2021, when California-based audio firm Taction Technology filed a lawsuit against Apple, alleging that the tech giant infringed on two patents it held for haptic feedback systems. Haptic technology, which powers the subtle vibrations devices emit to confirm user inputs like receiving a text message or pressing an on-screen button, has become a core feature of modern consumer electronics, integrated seamlessly into smartphones, smartwatches, gaming controllers and other touchscreen devices.
Taction, a manufacturer of specialized headphones and gaming headsets, holds two patents for haptic systems issued in 2020. The company argued in its original complaint that Apple’s incremental upgrades to its own haptic technology, which ships in every iPhone and Apple Watch sold globally, directly infringed on its intellectual property. Taction further claimed that Apple had leveraged the small firm’s innovations to boost its own devices’ user experience, unlawfully capitalizing on Taction’s research and development breakthroughs to drive device sales without permission or licensing.
Apple’s proprietary haptic system, branded the Taptic Engine, made its first public debut alongside the original Apple Watch in 2014. Since that launch, Apple has repeatedly updated and refined the underlying technology to deliver more precise, varied vibration feedback across its product line. The company has repeatedly and firmly denied all infringement allegations, maintaining that its Taptic Engine technology is fundamentally distinct from the systems Taction patented.
The legal process has taken multiple twists over the past five years. In 2023, a San Diego judge initially ruled that Apple had not violated Taction’s patents. But Taction appealed that ruling to a federal appellate circuit, which ordered a new jury trial that opened earlier this September at the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California. That jury ultimately returned a verdict in Taction’s favor on Friday.
Notably, the jury did not find that Apple’s infringement was willful, a distinction that would have opened the company up to even higher statutory damages. Apple has already announced it plans to appeal the latest verdict, pushing back hard against the jury’s conclusion and the massive damages award.
“While we thank the jury for their consideration, we strongly disagree with today’s verdict and the damages awarded, which are entirely unsupported by the facts,” an Apple spokesperson said in a statement released after the ruling. “Apple’s Taptic Engine is fundamentally different from Taction’s technology, which Taction’s own testing of Apple’s products confirmed during trial.”
This high-profile verdict is just the latest in a string of costly patent infringement lawsuits that Apple has faced in recent years. In November 2025, a judge ordered Apple to pay $634 million in damages to medical technology company Masimo, after a jury found the firm had infringed on Masimo’s patents for blood oxygen monitoring technology that Apple integrated into the Apple Watch line.
Industry analysts note that the size of the $5.7 billion damages award in this case is likely to intensify debates around intellectual property protections in the consumer tech sector, as smaller innovators continue to bring claims against big tech firms that integrate new features into mass-market product lines.