Apple faces $5.7 billion patent infringement verdict over iPhone and Apple Watch haptics

• A federal jury in San Diego found that Apple owes Taction Technology more than $5.7 billion for infringing two of its patents.
• Taction, a haptics technology company, sued Apple in 2021.
• Apple vowed to appeal the finding in a statement to Bloomberg Law, and said it "does not use Taction's technology."

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A federal jury in San Diego awarded Taction Technology more than $5.7 billion in damages Friday after finding that Apple infringed claims from two haptics patents.

Taction sued Apple in 2021 in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California. The company alleged that Apple was improperly "capitalizing on Taction's innovation and success" by selling devices that infringed on its vibration technology, according to the complaint. Apple initially won dismissal in 2023, and the Federal Circuit later revived the case.

Apple vowed to appeal the finding in a statement to Bloomberg Law, saying it "does not use Taction's technology."

Representatives for Apple and Taction did not immediately respond to CNBC's request for comment.

The lawsuit centered around U.S. Patent Nos. 10,659,885 and 10,820,117, which both involve vibration-based, tactile transducer technology that helps users feel a device responding to their input. Taction argued that Apple's "Taptic Engine," which is embedded in its Apple Watches and iPhones, uses its inventions without proper license or authority.

The jury trial began Sept. 14, and the seven jurors deliberated for two days after proceedings concluded. They returned at 1:15 p.m. PT on Friday and delivered the verdict in favor of Taction.

The jury did not find Apple's infringement willful.

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