Apple ordered to pay £4.3bn over claims it used vibration technology without permission
The iPhone manufacturer insisted it had not used the audio firm's vibration tech and would appeal the jury’s verdict.
Apple has been ordered to pay $5.7bn (£4.3bn) in damages after a jury in the US found the tech company used another firm’s technology without permission.
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In 2021, audio company Taction Technology claimed that Apple had infringed two of its patents for tech known as haptics systems – which cause the phones to vibrate if they receive a message, or when users press a button.
Haptics increase the sensory experience of modern devices, from smartphones and watches to video game controllers – giving the devices a more immersive, “real” feel.
The software is built into Apple devices, including the iPhone and the Apple Watch.
The tech giant insisted it had not used Taction's vibration tech and would appeal the jury’s verdict.
In a statement, Apple said: "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.”
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The statement went on: "Apple's Taptic Engine is fundamentally different from Taction's technology, which Taction's own testing of Apple's products confirmed during trial."
In July, Apple launched a new legal challenge against the British government's latest attempt to create a so-called backdoor to access encrypted customer data.
Apple lodged a legal complaint at the Investigatory Powers Tribunal over the Home Office's demand that the company allow it access to encrypted cloud backups of data belonging to British users.
Last year, Britain dropped a previous mandate for such a backdoor that would have allowed access to British and US customers' data following months of negotiations with the US President Donald Trump's administration.
However, British authorities subsequently issued a new "technical capability notice" to Apple that did not apply to US users, the Financial Times reported.
A government spokesperson said it would not comment on legal proceedings or operational matters, including confirming or denying the existence of individual notices.
"The UK supports strong encryption and robust privacy protections, but it is also vital that law enforcement can access communications when necessary and proportionate to protect the public from terrorism, serious crime, and child sexual abuse," the spokesperson said.
Apple confirmed the filing but declined to comment further. The company has previously said it has never built a backdoor or master key to any of its products or services and never would.
"This is a hugely important case that will have far-reaching implications for the public’s privacy rights well into the future," Ruth Ehrlich, director of external relations at human rights advocacy group Liberty, which has previously been involved in the legal case, said in a statement.
"Opening a backdoor to all of that information carries a wide range of risks to our personal data. It is critical that the government listens to the many concerns and commits to protecting our privacy rights."