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Jury orders Apple to pay record patent damages over iPhone haptics

Jury orders Apple to pay record patent damages over iPhone haptics

Rule Changes

San Diego jury awards Taction Technology $5.72 billion for Taptic Engine patents; Apple says it will appeal

Today: Apple vows to appeal

Overview

Updated 1 hour ago

A San Diego jury ordered Apple to pay Taction Technology $5.72 billion on September 25 for infringing two haptic-feedback patents used in iPhones and Apple Watches. At $5,721,961,750, it is the largest patent verdict in US history.

The case nearly died in 2023, when a judge granted Apple summary judgment of noninfringement. The Federal Circuit revived it 20 months later, ruling the lower court misread the patent claims and wrongly threw out Taction's expert.

Apple denies using Taction's technology and says it will appeal. The first fight will be over damages: Apple argues the jury heard no expert royalty-rate evidence, because Taction's damages expert was excluded before trial.

Why it matters

If it survives appeal, this is the largest patent damages award in US history and a new benchmark for suits against tech giants.

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Key Indicators

$5.72B
Jury damages award
Largest patent verdict in US history, returned September 25, 2026.
3
Patent claims found infringed
Claims 17 and 19 of US Patent 10,659,885; claim 16 of US Patent 10,820,117.
Not willful
Willfulness finding
Award cannot be trebled under federal patent law, which allows judges to triple damages for serious infringement.
5
Years from filing to verdict
Lawsuit filed April 2021; jury verdict returned September 2026.

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People Involved

Organizations Involved

Timeline

April 2021 September 2026

7 events Latest: Today
Tap a bar to jump to that date
  1. Apple vows to appeal

    Today Statement

    Apple says its Taptic Engine is fundamentally different from Taction's technology and announces it will appeal.

  2. Jury returns record $5.72 billion verdict

    Verdict

    Jury finds Apple infringed three claims across two patents, rejects invalidity defenses, awards $5,721,961,750. Infringement found not willful.

  3. Trial begins in San Diego

    Trial

    Nine-day jury trial opens before Judge Robinson on infringement and validity of the two haptic patents.

  4. Federal Circuit revives Taction's case

    Appeal

    Appeals court vacates summary judgment, ruling the district court abused its discretion and misread the patent claims.

Scenarios

1

Judge Strikes or Slashes $5.72 Billion Award Post-Trial

Possible Resolves by Apr 30, 2027

Discussed by: Apple's post-trial motion papers; legal observers cited by Cryptopolitan

Apple files renewed judgment-as-a-matter-of-law and new-trial motions within 28 days of judgment entry. Its central argument: the jury heard no expert reasonable-royalty opinion because Taction's damages expert had been excluded, so no evidence supports an apportioned royalty. If Judge Robinson agrees the award rests on speculation, he vacates it or orders a new damages trial.

2

Federal Circuit Overturns or Cuts the Award on Appeal

Likely Resolves by Q2 2028

Discussed by: Cryptopolitan's review of the Federal Circuit's record on mega-verdicts

Any appeal lands at the Federal Circuit, which has erased or remanded nearly every mega-verdict it has reviewed, including the $1.1 billion Caltech award and the $300 million Optis Cellular award. Apple will argue damages require apportionment tied to the incremental value of the patented feature, and that the Taptic Engine does not produce the highly damped output the claims require.

3

Apple and Taction Settle Before Appeal Ends

Possible Resolves by Q2 2029

Discussed by: Pattern of large patent verdicts settling during appeal

With a record verdict hanging over it, Apple may buy certainty rather than risk a final judgment. A settlement would likely be confidential, with a stipulated dismissal filed in San Diego and the terms undisclosed.

4

Verdict Affirmed; Apple Pays Record Award

Unlikely Resolves by End of 2028

Discussed by: Taction's litigation team; reversal-averse damages analysis

If the district court and the Federal Circuit both uphold the damages figure, Apple pays $5.72 billion plus interest. The not-willful finding blocks trebling, but the base award would stand as the largest patent damages ever paid in the United States.

Historical Context

3 moments from history that rhyme with this story — and how they unfolded.

2010 - 2020

VirnetX v. Apple (2010-2020)

VirnetX repeatedly won jury verdicts against Apple over FaceTime and iMessage VPN patents. A Texas judge threw out a $625.6 million verdict and ordered new trials, and the litigation dragged on for a decade.

Then

The $625.6 million verdict was set aside; retrials produced smaller awards.

Now

Final payments were far smaller than the original verdicts, demonstrating how courts chip away at outsized jury awards.

Why this matters now

A decade-long Apple patent fight where initial jury verdicts shrank dramatically through post-trial and appellate review.

January 2019 - February 2021

Caltech v. Broadcom and Apple (2019-2021)

A Texas jury awarded Caltech $1.1 billion over Wi-Fi coding patents covering Broadcom chips in Apple products. The Federal Circuit in 2021 threw out the entire damages award, finding the royalty theory rested on worldwide rather than US sales, and ordered a new trial.

Then

The $1.1 billion verdict was vacated and remanded for a new damages trial.

Now

The case resolved for a small fraction of the original award, with Caltech licensing the patents to Apple and Broadcom.

Why this matters now

Same defendant (Apple), same appellate court, and the same failure mode: a damages theory that could not survive appellate scrutiny.

November 2025

Masimo v. Apple (2025)

A California jury handed Masimo $634 million in November 2025 over Apple Watch health-sensor patents. Apple is appealing that verdict.

Then

The $634 million verdict is under appeal with post-trial motions pending.

Now

Its outcome will signal whether courts are willing to hold mega-verdicts against Apple on Apple Watch products.

Why this matters now

Same defendant, same product line (Apple Watch), same appeal posture: a near-term test of how large Apple verdicts fare on review.

Sources

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