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Apple and Immersion Reach Licensing Agreement After Legal Battle Over 3D Touch and Taptic Engine

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Immersion, a company that develops and licenses haptic feedback technologies, today announced it has reached a settlement and licensing agreement with Apple. The terms of the deal are confidential.

apple watch taptic engine
Immersion describes itself as the leading innovator of haptic feedback systems, with more than 2,600 issued or pending patents. The company, headquartered in San Jose, California, says its technology has been adopted in more than three billion consumer electronic devices across several industries.

Immersion had filed a pair of lawsuits against Apple in early 2016, accusing the company of infringing on its patents with its haptic feedback technologies such as 3D Touch and the Taptic Engine on the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus, and Force Touch on the first-generation Apple Watch and various MacBook trackpads.

Top Rated Comments

sw1tcher Avatar
106 months ago
Where are all the people who thought Immersion were patent trolls and/or had no case?

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/haptic-feedback-company-immersion-files-patent-infringement-lawsuit-against-apple.1955890/

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/immersion-files-second-haptic-feedback-lawsuit-against-apple.1971289/
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
maflynn Avatar
106 months ago
Looks like Immersion hit the jackpot :eek:

I also wonder if apple will stop or diminish its use of Force touch now
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
106 months ago
Haha! You're probably right. I just find it backwards that they push for 3D Touch since its inception, include it in every phone since the 6s, and then pull it from the mainstream iPhone version. From a developer perspective, they're limiting their user base and there is less incentive to develop for 3D Touch.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)

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