A seven-person federal jury in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California found Apple infringed claims in two Taction Technology patents and awarded Taction $5,721,961,750 in damages on September 25, 2026. The jury found for Apple on whether the infringement was willful. Apple says it will appeal.
What the patents cover
The case concerns U.S. Patent Nos. 10,659,885 and 10,820,117, owned by plaintiff Taction Technology, Inc. The patents cover tactile transducers that produce bass-frequency vibrations perceptible by touch.
The dispute involves Apple’s Taptic Engine, its haptic-feedback system, in some iPhone and Apple Watch models. The verdict concerns claims under the two patents; it does not identify a complete list of affected devices.
Apple disputes the verdict and plans to appeal
Apple says the Taptic Engine is fundamentally different from Taction’s technology. It also disputes the verdict and the damages award, and says it will appeal.
The jury’s findings address two separate questions: it found infringement in Taction’s favor, but found for Apple on willfulness. The willfulness finding does not change the jury’s infringement decision.
How the case reached trial
Taction filed the lawsuit in 2021. The district court dismissed it in 2023, and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit revived it in 2025. The appeals court found that the dismissal had relied on an unwritten requirement that improperly restricted Taction’s use of expert testimony.
