Apple is facing one of the largest patent infringement rulings in the US to date due to the Taptic Engine technology used in iPhone and Apple Watch models. A federal panel in San Diego ruled that Apple infringed two patents related to Taction Technology and ordered the company to pay $5.72 billion in damages.

If the decision is finalized, it will be recorded as one of the highest balanced patent infringement rulings in the US. The technology in question is the Taptic Engine system, which provides haptic feedback that iPhone and Apple Watch users feel when they touch the screen or interact with the device.

Taction filed a lawsuit against Apple in 2021, claiming that Apple used its patented vibration technology in this system. In the case in question, it was argued that two patents, numbered 10,659,885 and 10,820,117, issued by the US Patent and Trademark Office, were infringed.

These patents cover electromagnetic actuator and vibration technologies used to create vibrations that users can feel through touch. Taction claimed that Apple’s haptic feedback system infringed on its proprietary rights.

Details of the patent infringement case

Interestingly, Apple was in a more advantageous position in the first phase of the case. In 2023, the federal court in San Diego issued a summary decision in favor of Apple, halting the case.

However, Taction appealed the decision, and in 2025, the US Federal Court of Appeals overturned the lower court’s decision, paving the way for a retrial. Following hearings that began in September 2026, the jury deliberated for approximately two days and announced its decision on September 25.

The jury ruled that Apple infringed on several claims in two Taction patents. However, it was decided that the infringement was not intentional.

The total amount of damages determined by the jury was announced as $5,721,961,750. According to the court document, the final court decision is now awaiting official registration.

Legal Process and Apple’s Appeal

Apple does not accept the jury’s decision and has announced that it will appeal. The company argues that the Taptic Engine is fundamentally different from the technology described in Taction’s patents.

Apple also challenged the validity of Taction’s patents during the trial. Therefore, the amount announced by the jury does not represent the exact amount Apple will have to pay.

This isn’t the only patent dispute Apple is facing regarding haptic technology. The company previously faced a patent lawsuit filed by Immersion concerning haptic technologies used in iPhones, Apple Watches, and MacBooks.

The parties later reached an undisclosed settlement in the Immersion case. Apple is also involved in a separate patent dispute with Masimo regarding the blood oxygen measurement feature in the Apple Watch.

In the Masimo case, the court ordered Apple to pay $634 million. Apple plans to appeal this decision as well.

These high-value compensation rulings facing Apple demonstrate how complex the legal battles of tech giants regarding intellectual property rights can become. Do you think Apple can overturn this record-breaking compensation decision on appeal?