On 26 September, A US jury found Apple liable to Taction over patented haptic-feedback technology used in iPhones and Apple Watches. Reuters reports it is the largest US patent damages verdict to date; Apple intends to appeal.[1]

The Verdict

delivered on 25 September 2026 in the US District Court for the Southern District of California, is being reported as the largest patent damages verdict in US history. Apple has said it will appeal.[2]

The dispute centres on technology used in Apple’s Taptic Engine, the component responsible for generating tactile feedback in products including the iPhone and Apple Watch. Taction alleged that Apple infringed two of its patents covering tactile transducers capable of producing low-frequency vibrations that can be physically felt by users.

The patents at issue were US Patent Nos. 10,659,885 and 10,820,117. The jury found infringement of specific claims within both patents and rejected Apple’s arguments that those claims were invalid.

However, the jury did not find Apple’s infringement to be willful. That distinction is important because US courts can increase damages in cases involving particularly egregious or deliberate patent infringement.

Apple has maintained that its Taptic Engine is fundamentally different from Taction’s technology and has denied using Taction’s inventions. Following the verdict, the company confirmed that it intends to challenge the outcome.

The litigation has had an unusual procedural history. In 2023, Apple initially secured summary judgment of non-infringement, effectively ending Taction’s case before trial. Taction appealed that decision to the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit.

In August 2025, the Federal Circuit overturned the lower court ruling, finding errors in the treatment of expert evidence and patent claim construction. The case was subsequently returned to the district court, allowing Taction to present its infringement case to a jury.

Just over a year later, that decision has resulted in one of the largest patent verdicts ever recorded.

The Significance

The case also highlights the growing role of third-party litigation funding in major IP disputes. Litigation finance company Burford Capital backed Taction’s case and has indicated that it could be entitled to approximately $1.4 billion if the full damages award is ultimately recovered.[3]

The verdict is far from the end of the dispute. Apple is expected to challenge both the infringement findings and the size of the damages award through post-trial motions and an appeal to the Federal Circuit.

The case is likely to attract significant attention across the global IP community, particularly over how patent damages should be calculated when patented technology represents only one component within highly complex consumer products.

For patent owners, technology companies and litigation funders alike, the Taction decision could become one of the defining US patent cases of 2026.

Feature written by Kushraj Singh, Senior Author, The Global IP Magazine.

Email Kushraj: newsdesk@northonsprmarketing.com