A federal jury has ordered Apple to pay $5.7 billion in damages after finding the company used another firm's vibration technology without permission.
The verdict, delivered Monday, hands Apple one of the largest patent penalties in its history. The company says it will appeal.
Audio firm Taction Technology sued Apple in 2021, claiming the iPhone maker infringed two of its patents covering haptics systems. Haptics are the small vibrations a device produces when a user receives a message, presses a button, or gets an alert.
Taction's patents cover the motors and software that generate those sensations. The technology is built into the iPhone and Apple Watch.
Apple disputed the claim at trial, arguing its own hardware works differently. The company calls its system the Taptic Engine, which debuted with the Apple Watch in 2014 and has been refined in every generation since.
"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 said in a statement.
The company added that "Apple's Taptic Engine is fundamentally different from Taction's technology, which Taction's own testing of Apple's products confirmed during trial."
Haptics have become standard equipment across consumer electronics. Smartphones, smartwatches, and video game controllers all rely on tiny motors that move in response to electronic signals, mimicking the feel of a physical button or a tap on the wrist.
The $5.7 billion award ranks among the largest patent verdicts ever returned against a US technology company. Apple has fought a long string of patent battles over iPhone components, including disputes with Qualcomm and Masimo over chips and health sensors.
Apple can ask the trial judge to overturn the verdict or reduce the damages before the case moves to appeal. Patent awards are frequently trimmed or thrown out after post-trial motions.
Taction Technology is a small audio firm that developed haptic systems before selling them commercially. The company argued at trial that Apple incorporated its designs without a license.
Apple shares showed little movement following the verdict. The damages, while large, amount to a fraction of the company's quarterly revenue.
The case now heads to the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit if the trial judge lets the verdict stand.
