A federal jury has awarded headphone maker Taction a record $5.7 billion in its patent lawsuit against Apple.
As Reuters reported Friday (Sept. 25), jurors found that Apple’s Taptic Engine, used in iPhones and Apple Watches to create haptic feedback, infringed on two Taction patents. Apple says it will appeal the verdict, the largest such decision on record in the U.S.
“Apple’s Taptic Engine is fundamentally different from Taction’s technology, which Taction’s own testing of Apple’s products confirmed during trial,” Apple said in response, per Reuters. “Apple does not use Taction’s technology, and we will appeal.”
“We’re happy the jury found for Taction and vindicated its patent rights,” said Taction attorney Lance Yang.
Taction, whose technology is used in headphones and gaming headsets, sued Apple in 2021. Apple denied the company’s claims, saying the patents were not valid, the report added.
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The U.S. Court of Appeals resurrected the case last year after a federal judge in San Diego ruled in 2023 that Apple did not infringe the Taction patents, Reuters said.
In other Apple news, the company is reportedly working on a new health and fitness tracker in response to the growing popularity of Whoop’s wrist-worn device and Oura’s smart ring.
This device would be worn on the wrist and would differ from the Apple Watch in that it would feature a thin fabric band, a sensor-equipped computing module, no screen and a simpler interface centered on fitness and health tracking, according to a recent Bloomberg News report.
John Ternus, Apple’s new chief executive touted upcoming products during his first comments to employees at the beginning of the month, saying that aside from the latest iPhone, the company has other new products on the way.
“I’m just as excited about what lies beyond that, including the incredible products already in the works and the ones we haven’t even imagined yet that we’ll dream up and create together,” Ternus said.
This month also saw reports that Apple had in May purchased Sonera, which makes noninvasive sensors that can measure the brain’s neural signals, with health benefits such as muscle monitoring and active thought control of devices.
Apple also recently announced a new feature known as Siri Recap, coming in beta later this year to the Apple Watch Series 12 and Ultra 4, which will listen to conversations and automatically generate a summary.
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