Apple ordered to pay record-breaking $5.7 billion over iPhone vibration technology
Last week, a federal jury in San Diego ordered Apple to pay up after awarding damages to Taction Technology following a five-year legal battle.
This follows a dispute that first began back in 2021 when Taction accused the tech giant of using its patented vibration technology without permission.
The company argued that Apple’s Taptic Engine, which is found in products including the iPhone and Apple Watch, infringed on its patented inventions.
The tech in question is responsible for the tactile feedback users feel when interacting with certain Apple devices, allowing physical sensations such as vibrations to accompany actions on the screen.
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The jury ultimately sided with Taction, awarding the firm a record-breaking $5.7 billion in damages.
However, despite the enormous damages award, the jury did not find that Apple had wilfully infringed Taction's patents, with Apple already confirming that it plans to lodge an appeal.
Speaking to CNBC in a statement, Apple said: “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. Apple’s Taptic Engine is fundamentally different from Taction’s technology, which Taction’s own testing of Apple’s products confirmed during trial. Apple does not use Taction’s technology, and we will appeal.”
Meanwhile, Lance Yang, partner at Quinn Emanuel and Taction’s lead counsel, stated: “We’re happy the jury found for Taction and vindicated its patent rights. Taction waited five and a half years for this case to get to trial, so it was a long time coming.”
Apple owes consumers money in another lawsuit
This isn’t the only legal battle that has resulted in a payout from Apple, as certain users could be owed a chunk of a huge $250 million settlement.
This followed a class-action lawsuit where the company was accused of deceptive marketing during the initial debut of its version of AI, known as Apple Intelligence.
At the time, Siri AI was advertised as including new features for the iPhone 16 which never materialized.
Since then, a lawsuit was filed over its marketing and now, users who bought an iPhone 15 Pro or iPhone 16 could be due a sum of money.
However, despite Apple coughing up $250 million, a big chunk of that will be put towards legal and other fees so don’t expect too many zeros at the end of the figure. Instead, iPhone users eligible for the payout can expect at most $95.