Apple · BBC Technology
Apple ordered to pay $5.7bn after losing vibration tech patent suit
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Apple has been ordered to pay $5.7bn (£4.3bn) in damages after a US jury found it had used another firm's tech without permission.
Key facts
- Apple has been ordered to pay $5.7bn (£4.3bn) in damages after a US jury found it had used another firm's tech without permission
- In November 2025 a judge ordered Apple to pay $634m, external to medical tech firm Masimo after a jury found it had infringed a patent for blood-oxygen reading tech
- Apple's "Taptic Engine" system
- enabling haptic feedback in its devices
- first debuted with the Apple Watch in 2014
- Taction, which makes headphones and gaming headsets, claimed in 2021 that these improvements infringed patents it was issued in 2020
Summary
Audio firm Taction Technology claimed in 2021 that Apple had infringed two of its patents for haptics systems, which enable vibrations for actions such as receiving a message or pressing a button. This tech is built into devices like the iPhone and Apple Watch. Apple said it had not used Taction's vibration tech and would appeal the verdict. "While we thank the jury for their consideration, we strongly disagree with today's verdict and the damages awarded, which are entirely unsupported by the facts," it said.