Taction seeks added damages, interest and royalties from Apple after $5.7B verdict
Reported post-trial requests cover additional sales, interest and future royalties. Apple is seeking to overturn the verdict or secure a new trial.
By BenchdictPublished Oct 30, 20264 min read
Taction Technology, the patent holder that sued Apple in 2021, is seeking additional damages, interest and royalties in post-trial requests after a $5.7 billion jury verdict, according to MacRumors, citing Reuters. The requests concern Apple's Taptic Engine and remain unresolved.
The $5.7 billion headline is the start of this fight, not the end of it. The jury found infringement but not willfulness, which caps how far enhanced damages can run, and Apple already won this case once before an appeals court revived it. Taction's post-trial requests for interest and royalties matter because they would turn a one-off verdict into an ongoing per-device cost if they survive. But everything, the verdict included, sits under an appeal in a dispute that has already been reversed once.
Key facts
- Jury decision
- Infringement verdict delivered September 25, 2026; Apple says it will appeal.
- Exact award
- $5,721,961,750, according to iClarified.
- Willfulness
- The jury did not find willful infringement.
What the jury decided
The September 25 verdict found that Apple's Taptic Engine, its device vibration technology, infringed Taction's patents, according to TNW and iClarified. Both outlets reported that the jury did not find willful infringement and that Apple said it would appeal.
The dispute has already passed through an earlier ruling in Apple's favor. According to iClarified, a judge ruled that Apple had not infringed in 2023, but the Federal Circuit, an appeals court, vacated that decision in August 2025 and sent the case back for further proceedings.
MacRumors reports that Apple now seeks to overturn the verdict or obtain a new trial. The company maintains that its Taptic Engine differs fundamentally from Taction's technology, leaving the jury's award contested alongside the requests for further payments.
How the requests extend beyond the verdict
MacRumors, recounting Reuters' coverage, reports that Taction says the original award covers sales from 2021 through late March 2026. The additional requests would extend compensation beyond that sales window and add interest and ongoing royalties. All three requests in the table below come from that account.
| Component | Reported scope | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Additional sales | Compensation for sales beyond the original damages calculation | Requested |
| Interest | Annual interest of 7%, citing California law, plus interest after the court's final judgment until payment | Requested |
| Future royalties | Payments on devices using the disputed technology through September 24, 2035, the reported patent expiration date | Requested |
These requests cover different periods: additional damages concern sales outside the jury's calculation, while ongoing royalties would cover future device sales. The reported patent expiration date supplies the endpoint Taction proposes for those royalties.
TNW wrote that the nonwillfulness finding stops Taction from seeking increased damages; a finding of willful infringement can lead to higher damages. MacRumors reports a request for compensation on sales outside the original calculation. Nothing in either report shows that the two are the same remedy.
Newer devices and quarterly reporting
According to MacRumors, Taction proposes that the court adopt payment terms covering newer models, including Apple's iPhone 18 Pro smartphone and Apple Watch Series 12 smartwatch. It also seeks quarterly reporting of U.S. sales and payment within 30 days after each quarter. These are Taction's proposed terms; no reported ruling has adopted them.
Sources
- Apple Could Owe Even More After $5.7 Billion Patent VerdictIndependentMacRumors, Oct 21, 2026.What we took from it: Reported additional damages, interest, future royalties, proposed quarterly reporting, newer-device coverage and Apple's post-trial challenge.
- US jury orders Apple to pay Taction $5.7bn over iPhone haptics patentsIndependentTNW | Legal, Sep 28, 2026.What we took from it: Verdict date, infringement and nonwillfulness findings, appeal intention, lawsuit history and wording about increased damages.
- Jury Orders Apple to Pay $5.7 Billion in Taction Haptic Patent CaseIndependentiClarified, Sep 26, 2026.What we took from it: Exact jury award, infringement and nonwillfulness findings, earlier court decisions, appeal intention and Apple's position on its technology.
Benchdict, Edited and published by Jason, Editor & Publisher. Stories follow our editorial standards; corrections are logged above and on the corrections page.