Apple has been ordered to pay more than $5.7bn for using patented technology from Taction Technology to power haptic feedback, the vibrations users feel when they receive a notification or press a button. A jury in federal court in the Southern district of California found that the iPhone maker infringed two patents owned by the San Diego-based company. The verdict is the culmination of a legal battle that began in 2021, when Taction first filed its lawsuit against Apple.
In 2023, a federal judge ruled that Apple had not infringed Taction’s patents, but an appeals court revived the case last year. Apple is utilising Taction’s patented inventions without license or authority from Taction. Taction has brought this action to remedy Apple’s infringement,” Taction said in the original 31-page complaint.
It also claimed that Apple “at a minimum believed there was a high probability that the accused products were covered by Taction’s patents, but willfully blinded itself to Taction’s patents and the infringing nature of the Accused Products”. The jury, however, found that Apple did not wilfully infringe the patents. Apple said it plans to appeal the verdict.
The verdict comes at a pivotal moment for the company, amid transitions in its C-suite. In September, John Ternus took over as CEO from Tim Cook, who led Apple for 15 years. The leadership change comes as the Cupertino, California-based tech giant lags behind other major technology companies in rolling out its artificial intelligence products.
Apple shares fell on Monday, declining about two percent as trading got underway.
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