Lawyers for the winning side, Taction Technology, say that they expect Apple to negotiate the loss down and so also cut back the law firm's profits. How terrible for them.

Apple was found guilty of infringing the patents of Taction Technology in its Taptic Engine, as used in the Apple Watch and many more devices, with a jury awarding damages of over $5.7 billion. In case anyone thought the lawyers did this one pro bono, legal firm Burford Capital says that it ought to be paid $1.4 billion.

According to Reuters, this win has sent the legal firm's US stock up over 6%. But Burford Capital has now cautioned that it is unlikely to receive the full sum.

That's not because Taction Technology won't pay up, it's because the sum itself is likely to be greatly reduced. Burford Capital initially says that any large award will typically get watered down during post-trial proceedings such as appeals.

It then notes, though, that this particular verdict faces significant risks. Burford Capital suspects that both Apple and Taction Technology will ultimately agree to settle for an unspecified but considerably reduced sum.

Burford Capital may be just managing expectations. Or it could be looking for sympathy that it's not very likely to get. It's possible, though, that this is based on an appreciation of how good Apple's lawyers are, or perhaps that there is an as-yet unrevealed weakness in the case.

For example, the jury's verdict was that Apple did infringe on the patents, for instance, but also that it did not do so knowingly. Apple continues to maintain that it disagrees with the verdict, and that the awarded sum was not based on any evidence. So, there's that appeal which ultimately might mean that the lawyers get nothing.

How this started

Taptic Technology first filed its suit against Apple back in April 2021. Apple subsequently won the case in the US District Court for the Southern District of California, but then in 2025 that verdict was overturned by the Federal Circuit.

The Federal Circuit found that the original trial improperly struck expert testimony. That original trial was also said to have unfairly limited Taptic Technology's claims.

Consequently, the case went back to court and into a new jury trial. It is this trial that saw Apple hit with $5.7 billion damages, and which it now says it will appeal

So this result has already been a long time coming, but the case will continue for some years yet. After all, it's not really an Apple patent trial if it doesn't extend for multiple years.