Apple hit with $5.7 billion in damages over haptic patents — SkimNews
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- Taction sued Apple in 2021 over two haptic-feedback patents (U.S. Patent Nos. 10,659,885 and 10,820,117) and has now won over $5.7 billion in damages from a San Diego federal jury, per CNBC.
- The jury found Apple's Taptic Engine — used in iPhones and Apple Watches — infringed two claims in one patent and one claim in the other.
- The jury declined to find willful infringement, rejecting Taction's claim that Apple reverse-engineered the technology from two Kannon gaming headsets.
- Apple has said it intends to appeal the verdict.
Why it matters: Apple now faces over $5.7 billion in damages on a Taptic Engine that ships in iPhones and Apple Watches, putting a price tag on the vibration feedback that millions of users feel daily. The jury's refusal to find willful infringement is Apple's clearest opening on appeal — it cuts off enhanced damages and undermines Taction's reverse-engineering narrative built around Kannon gaming headsets.
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