Apple ordered to pay $5.7bn after US jury finds patent infringement

Apple has been ordered by a US jury to pay $5.7 billion in damages after being found to have infringed two patents owned by audio firm Taction Technology.

Taction Technology claimed in 2021 that Apple’s haptics systems – the vibration technology used in iPhones, Apple Watches and other devices – breached patents it was granted in 2020. The jury at the US District Court for the Southern District of California concluded that Apple had used the patented technology without a licence.

Apple denied the allegation, stating that its “Taptic Engine” is fundamentally different from Taction’s inventions and that it will appeal the verdict. The company said the damages awarded were “entirely unsupported by the facts”.

The case follows a 2023 ruling by a San Diego judge that Apple did not infringe the patents, but the decision was overturned on appeal, leading to the September trial. Jurors did not find Apple acted wilfully, but still awarded the substantial sum.

This judgment adds to a series of recent patent disputes involving Apple, including a 2025 case where the firm was ordered to pay $634 million to medical‑tech company Masimo.

Source: BBC News. Photo: Michael D Beckwith / Pexels.