Rubbish Check
CNBC · September 26, 2026
source“Apple faces $5.7 billion patent infringement verdict over iPhone and Apple Watch haptics”
R2/ 10
Lightly altered
Rubbish Rating — 1 = base fact, 10 = pure rubbish
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In short
Rubbish Talk rates CNBC's headline on Apple's $5.7 billion Taction Technology verdict a 2/10 because "faces" accurately signals a non-final jury award, with the only omission being that the jury found the infringement was not willful.
The Verdict
Lightly altered. The headline is a clean statement of a real jury outcome, dollar figure, patents, and products are all correctly stated, and "faces" properly flags that this is a verdict subject to appeal rather than a settled bill. It loses one point only for not flagging, in the headline itself, that jurors rejected willfulness, a fact that could matter to how the number is read.
What actually happened
A San Diego federal jury found Apple Inc. owes over $5.7 billion for infringing patents belonging to Taction Technology Inc. that cover vibration-based technology incorporated in models of iPhones and Apple Watches. Jurors in the US District Court for the Southern District of California spent parts of two days before determining that Apple infringed claims from two Taction haptics patents, US Patent Nos. 10,659,885 and 10,820,117. They determined, however, that the infringement wasn't willful. Apple has said it will appeal.
Key facts
- Verdict amount: $5.7 billion, delivered by a seven-juror panel after two days of deliberation.
- Patents at issue: U.S. Patent Nos. 10,659,885 and 10,820,117, covering vibration-based tactile transducer tech.
- Jury explicitly found the infringement was not willful, a distinction that affects the legal weight of the award.
- Apple's public response: Apple thanked the jury but said it strongly disagreed with "today's verdict and the damages awarded, which are entirely unsupported by the facts." The company said the "Taptic Engine is fundamentally different from Taction's technology, which Taction's own testing of Apple's products confirmed during trial." "Apple does not use Taction's technology, and we will appeal," it said.
- Litigation history: Apple initially won dismissal in 2023 before the Federal Circuit revived the case, per the article.
What to watch for
- Whether the trial judge reduces the award post-verdict, a common outcome in mega patent verdicts before appeal.
- The Federal Circuit appeal outcome, given Apple already won one earlier round of dismissal in this same case.
- Whether later coverage drops "faces" and starts reporting the figure as a settled cost, which would be the point spin creeps in.
About this scoreThe R-Score is Rubbish Talk's editorial opinion on how far a headline's framing sits from what the underlying facts support. It is a judgement about presentation and emphasis, not an allegation that any outlet has acted dishonestly. Every figure we rely on is linked under Receipts so you can check it yourself.
