iPhone vibration: Apple ordered to pay $5.7 billion fine
Apple has been ordered by a California court to pay approximately 5.7 billion US dollars in damages to the US company Taction Technology. Apple infringed on two of the company's patents with the vibration motor in the iPhone. Apple intends to appeal the verdict.
Few people are likely familiar with the company Taction Technology. However, you are very familiar with one of its products: the so-called Taptic Engine. This small component generates the haptic feedback that occurs when typing on an iPhone or Apple Watch – or when you receive a notification. Apple included this in the first Apple Watch and in every one of its phones since the iPhone 6s. It replaced the previous vibration motor.
Taction now believes that Apple is using two of its inventions without holding the license for them. Specifically, it concerns the infringement of two patents that describe a vibration module that generates feedback perceptible through the skin. Taction is now seeking compensation for this and has filed a lawsuit.
Court confirms claims
The trial before the U.S. District Court in Southern California began on September 14. After two days of deliberation, seven jurors announced their verdict: in their view, both patents have been infringed upon in one or more points. They have awarded Taction Technology compensation of approximately 5.7 billion US dollars. According to the news agency Reuters, this is the highest amount a US jury has ever awarded in a patent case. However, it could not be proven that Apple infringed this patent intentionally. Otherwise, the sum could have been significantly higher.
Apple disputes the verdict. They stated to the news portal CNBC that neither the decision itself nor the amount of damages is based on facts, as their technology differs fundamentally from that developed by Taction. This has been confirmed by tests – tests that Taction itself conducted on Apple devices. Since it is not the same technology, Apple is now appealing.
It could take a long time
The lawsuit from Taction Technology is itself already five years old. It was originally filed in April 2021. Two years later, it was initially dismissed. The Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit subsequently took up the case again. For Apple, the appeal process could be worthwhile: a patent case against the company Immersion already ended in an out-of-court settlement due to the threat of going to the appellate court.
I've been tinkering with digital networks ever since I found out how to activate both telephone channels on the ISDN card for greater bandwidth. As for the analogue variety, I've been doing that since I learned to talk. Though Winterthur is my adoptive home city, my heart still bleeds red and blue.
From the latest iPhone to the return of 80s fashion. The editorial team will help you make sense of it all.
Show all
