Rohan Paul

A jury has ordered Apple to pay $5.72B, the largest U.S. patent verdict ever, over patented haptics technology used in iPhones and Apple Watches. The patents cover tactile transducers that move an internal mass electromagnetically and damp its resonance, including with ferrofluid, to create touch-perceived vibration. Taction argued Apple’s Taptic Engine falls within those claims; Apple says the actuator is fundamentally different and does not use Taction’s technology. Apple had actually won the case in 2023, but an appeals court overturned that decision in 2025 and sent it back for trial. The jury then sided with Taction, although it did not find that Apple knowingly infringed the patents. The $5.72B award still may be reduced or overturned, and Apple says the damages calculation is flawed and plans to appeal.