Apple has been ordered to pay $5.7 billion (£4.3 billion) in damages after a US jury found that the technology giant had used another company’s technology without permission, the BBC reported.
The case was brought by audio technology company Taction Technology, which alleged that Apple infringed two of its patents relating to haptic systems,technology that creates vibrations and touch-like feedback when users interact with devices.
The technology is used in products including the iPhone and Apple Watch.
According to the BBC, Taction filed its claim in 2021, alleging that improvements Apple made to its haptic technology infringed patents granted to Taction in 2020.
Apple has rejected the finding and said it intends to appeal the verdict. The company maintains that its Taptic Engine is fundamentally different from Taction’s technology and said the damages awarded were unsupported by the facts.
Apple first introduced its Taptic Engine with the Apple Watch in 2014 and has since expanded the use of haptic feedback across its devices.
Taction, which makes headphones and gaming headsets, accused Apple of using its inventions without a licence or authorisation and argued that the technology had helped Apple improve the user experience of its devices.
A San Diego judge had ruled in Apple’s favour in 2023, finding that the company had not infringed Taction’s patents. However, the case subsequently went before a federal appeals court, ultimately resulting in a September jury trial at the US District Court for the Southern District of California.
The jury found in favour of Taction, although it did not find that Apple had infringed the patents wilfully.
Apple has faced several patent disputes in recent years, including a separate case in which it was ordered in November 2025 to pay medical technology company Masimo $634 million over a patent relating to blood-oxygen monitoring technology. (Newswire)
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