Haptics Verdict

San Diego jurors ordered Apple to pay Taction Technology more than $5.7 billion Friday, CNBC reported. The panel found the iPhone maker infringed two of Taction's haptics patents. Five years of litigation. The verdict closes out a fight over technology built into some of Apple's best-selling products.

Seven jurors reached the verdict at 1:15 p.m. Pacific time after two days of deliberation, according to CNBC. The trial opened Sept. 14. Taction argued that Apple's Taptic Engine, embedded in iPhones and Apple Watches since 2015, draws on vibration technology from U.S. Patent Nos. 10,659,885 and 10,820,117 without a license. Both patents cover tactile transducers, hardware that lets a user feel a device respond to a tap, a call or a notification.

Taction sued Apple in 2021 in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California. Court filings cited by CNBC accused Apple of capitalizing on Taction's invention while selling devices built on it. A judge dismissed the case in 2023. The Federal Circuit revived it on appeal, clearing the way for the trial that produced Friday's verdict. $5.7 billion ranks among the largest patent verdicts ever handed down against a technology company.

The judgment lands weeks into the biggest leadership change at Apple in more than a decade. John Ternus took over as chief executive this week, succeeding Tim Cook, Cult of Mac reported. Cook ran Apple for 15 years after Steve Jobs before moving into a new role as executive chairman, where he'll handle government matters, including engaging with policymakers, according to Cult of Mac. Ternus spent 25 years in Apple's hardware engineering ranks before his promotion. Cult of Mac also reported that Apple is preparing its first folding iPhone, as competition over artificial intelligence reshapes the industry.

Apple said it will appeal Friday's verdict. Representatives for Apple and Taction did not immediately respond to CNBC's request for comment.

No appeal date has been set. Apple has denied wrongdoing throughout the case. In a statement to Bloomberg Law, cited by CNBC, the company said it "does not use Taction's technology."