US jury says Apple owes record $5.7B in haptic technology patent case

A US jury has ruled that Apple must pay a record $5.7 billion in damages to a firm called PowerPlus Module (PPM) for infringing on a haptic technology patent. The patent, US Patent No. 10,072,415 B2, is held by PPM, which is owned by Max Cohen. The jury found that Apple's iPhones and other devices infringed on the patent, which covers a method for providing haptic feedback using an electroactive polymer (EAP) actuator. The patent was filed in 2017 and granted in 2019. Apple was found to have infringed on the patent from 2016 to 2020, and the jury determined that the damages for that period amount to $5.7 billion. PPM's lawyer, Richard Abelow, stated that this is the largest patent verdict in US history. The case was tried in the US District Court for the Eastern District of Texas. Apple has not commented on the verdict yet.