A US federal jury has awarded Taction Technology $5.7 billion in damages after finding Apple infringed two patents covering tactile transducer technology used in its devices.
The lawsuit centred on Apple’s Taptic Engine, the component responsible for producing haptic feedback in iPhones and Apple Watches. Jurors found that the hardware infringed Taction’s patents covering low-frequency bass vibrations, although they determined that the infringement was not wilful.
The verdict follows a five-and-a-half-year legal battle that began when Taction filed the lawsuit in 2021. A district judge granted Apple summary judgment in 2023, bringing the case to an end at that stage.
However, the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit revived the lawsuit in 2025 after ruling that Taction’s expert testimony had been improperly excluded. The case was subsequently sent to trial on 14 September.
Discovery during the proceedings revealed that Taction’s legal costs were backed by third-party litigation funders Gronostaj Investments and Kenosha Investments.
Kenosha has been identified in separate litigation as an indirect subsidiary of Burford Capital, according to Bloomberg Law.
“We’re happy the jury found for Taction and vindicated its patent rights,” Lance Yang, partner at Quinn Emanuel and lead counsel for Taction, said in a statement to CNBC.
Apple, however, said it would appeal both the verdict and the damages award.
“Apple’s Taptic Engine is fundamentally different from Taction’s technology,” the company said in a statement to CNBC. “Apple does not use Taction’s technology.”
