Taction Moves to Add Damages to $5.7 Billion Apple Verdict

By Sophie Lindqvist

Taction Technology asked a federal court on Friday, October 16, for supplemental damages, an ongoing royalty and interest on top of the $5.7 billion jury verdict it won against Apple in late September, a filing that could add hundreds of millions of dollars to the largest patent damages award in recent memory. The motion, filed in the Southern District of California, targets infringing device sales from March 2026 through September 2026 and ongoing royalties on new products introduced this September, including the iPhone 18 Pro. Taction also seeks prejudgment interest at California's statutory rate of 7%, which reportedly would add hundreds of millions on its own. The jury found Apple infringed Taction patents covering haptic feedback in response to user touch.

What did EU customs seize in 2025?

The European Union Intellectual Property Office reported on Thursday, October 22, that EU customs officials seized more than 196 million counterfeit items in 2025 — a record, surpassing the previous 2023 high by 29%. The report, produced jointly with the European Commission's Directorate-General for Taxation and Customs Union, found recorded CDs and DVDs led all categories at 30% of seizures, followed by counterfeit toys at one-fifth.

Are small tech transfer offices holding back EU patenting?

A study published October 22 by the EPO Observatory, conducted with knowledge transfer association ASTP and Fraunhofer ISI, found that 90% of surveyed European tech transfer offices are small or mid-scale — yet they are no less likely to move an invention toward a patent than large TTOs that enjoy on average six times more staff, seven times the research workforce and roughly 23 times more research expenditures. The stakes are concrete: research institutions accounted for 34% of EU patent applications filed in 2025 in biotechnology, 29% in quantum technology and 26% in pharmaceuticals. The study concludes that strengthening TTO capacity through better local research networks and financing is key to European competitiveness.

What did the UPC decide on Gucci leather?

On Wednesday, October 21, the Unified Patent Court's Court of Appeal revoked a series of claims in an Agfa patent on methods of decorating natural leather and ruled that Gucci's printed leather products did not infringe the remaining claims. The court found Agfa presented no conclusive evidence that claimed polyfunctional monomers or oligomers were present in the inks used in the accused Gucci products, nor that the products displayed the invention's required flexibility, demonstrated by showing no cracks visible under a microscope.

What else moved this week?

• The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday, October 19, denied cert in Google v. VirtaMove, heeding the Solicitor General's call to reject Google's challenge to settled-expectations considerations in PTAB discretionary denials, and denied Allen v. Stein over Blackbeard shipwreck footage. It summarily affirmed BMG Rights Management v. Vetter, granting worldwide copyright protection to Cyril Vetter's 1966 single "Double Shot (Of My Baby's Love)."
• The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court on October 14 affirmed denial of injunctive relief for HVAC provider Daikin Applied Americas against two former employees, citing eBay v. MercExchange (2004) and noting presumptions of irreparable harm are inappropriate — an approach already applied to trade secrets by the Seventh and Tenth Circuits.
• USPTPTO Acting Commissioner for Patents Barry Schindler confirmed on Tuesday, October 20, that examiners, especially in pharmaceutical and complex tech centers, use agentic AI tools including Compass, which performs formality checks on patent applications.
• The Ninth Circuit on October 22 affirmed a jury verdict that Apple's show "The Servant" was not substantially similar to Francesca Gregorini's film "The Truth About Emanuel."
• Deutsche Bank on October 20 voluntarily dismissed its Delaware declaratory judgment action against Intellectual Ventures after settlement talks; 7-Eleven on October 19 dismissed with prejudice its trademark suit against Nike's 7-Eleven-branded Air Max 95 color scheme.
• The EPO announced a record 76 European qualifying examination candidates from 33 member states at its Candidate Support Programme kick-off on October 16.

On Wall Street, reports on Friday, October 23, said SpaceX is negotiating with at least one major carrier to acquire 80,000 cellular sites and build a fourth nationwide wireless provider rivaling Verizon, AT&T and T-Mobile. Quarterly earnings next week include Alphabet (12th on IPO's Top 300 patent recipients), Microsoft (18th), Amazon (20th), Intel (15th) and Ford (42nd).