Apple has been ordered to pay 5.7 billion US dollars, roughly £4.5 billion, in damages for infringing two patents owned by a gaming headset company. Taction Technology, which also supplied the technology found in the Corsair HS60 headset, alleged in 2021 that Apple had infringed patents relating to the haptics systems used in the Apple Watch and iPhone.
The complaint was heard before a jury in the District Court for the Southern District of California. Taction argued that Apple’s Taptic Engine was capitalising on the company’s innovation and success, and that both systems relied on vibration-based, tactile transducer technology that helps users feel a device respond to their input. Taction claimed Apple used its inventions without proper licence or authority.
What the jury decided
The jury agreed that infringement had taken place, but also found that Apple did not willfully infringe the patents. Apple had originally won a dismissal of the action in 2023, but Taction Technology appealed, bringing the case back before the court.
Apple said it strongly disagreed with the verdict and confirmed it would appeal the decision. The company stated that its Taptic Engine is fundamentally different from Taction’s technology, adding that Taction’s own testing of Apple’s products confirmed as much during the trial. Apple said it does not use Taction’s technology and intends to challenge the ruling.
A run of legal challenges
The case follows a successful lawsuit brought by medical devices company Masimo, which resulted in an award of 634 million US dollars, around £500 million. Masimo alleged that Apple used its proprietary monitoring technology in the Apple Watch.
As one of the largest consumer electronics brands in the world, Apple was briefly valued at 5 trillion US dollars in July. Earlier this month the company replaced chief executive Tim Cook with former senior vice president John Ternus, and unveiled its first folding iPhone. The latest damages award adds to a growing list of intellectual property disputes involving the company’s wearable and mobile devices.
