Key Points:
- A US trade tribunal ruled in favor of Apple, preventing Masimo from seeking to reinstate an import ban on Apple Watches.
- The US International Trade Commission officially closed the case after a judge ruled the redesigned watches do not infringe Masimo’s patents.
- Apple originally had to remove its blood-oxygen reading technology in 2023 to avoid a nationwide sales ban.
- Masimo previously won a massive $634 million judgment against Apple during a separate patent trial in California.
Apple just scored a massive legal victory that ensures its famous smartwatches will stay on store shelves across the United States. On Friday, a US trade tribunal officially ruled in favor of the technology giant, striking down a fierce legal bid from medical technology company Masimo. The medtech firm desperately wanted to reinstate a strict import ban on all new Apple Watches, but the government tribunal refused to pull the trigger.
The US International Trade Commission officially closed Masimo’s case on Friday afternoon. The commission made the final decision after declining to review an earlier preliminary ruling issued by an ITC judge in March. That judge previously ruled that Apple’s newly redesigned watches do not infringe any of Masimo’s patents related to sensitive blood-oxygen-reading technology.
Masimo, which is owned by the massive corporation Danaher, still has legal options available. The company can appeal Friday’s decision directly to the Washington-based US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. However, for now, the company is staying quiet. An official spokesperson for Masimo completely declined to comment on the tribunal’s ruling.
Apple did not hide its excitement over the legal win. A company representative released a public statement thanking the ITC for its final decision. The representative stated that this specific ruling ensures Apple can continue offering important health features to millions of daily users. Apple also fired a shot at its rival, noting that Masimo has waged a relentless legal campaign against the tech giant for more than six years, yet courts have rejected nearly all of Masimo’s claims.
The bitter legal dispute between these two massive companies has raged for years. Masimo originally accused Apple of using dirty corporate tactics to build the Apple Watch. Specifically, Masimo claimed that Apple intentionally hired away top medical employees to steal highly sensitive pulse-oximetry technology. Doctors use this technology to determine blood oxygen levels in patients accurately.
The legal fight actually resulted in a massive loss for Apple late last year. In December 2023, the ITC officially blocked imports of Apple’s flagship Series 9 and Ultra 2 smartwatches. The commission imposed the ban after finding that the original watch designs clearly infringed Masimo’s patents. To avoid a nationwide sales ban during the busy holiday season, Apple had to remove the blood-oxygen-reading technology from all its watches quickly.
Apple engineers worked frantically to find a legal workaround. By August, the company successfully reintroduced a newly updated version of the health technology after receiving official approval from US Customs and Border Protection. Apple changed exactly how the technology interacts with the user. The newly updated watches now display health data from the blood-oxygen reader on paired Apple devices, such as a paired iPhone, rather than directly on the watch screen. Apple’s original, banned version displayed the sensitive medical data right on the watch face.
Masimo refuses to give up the fight. The medical company separately sued US Customs and Border Protection over its official approval of those newly redesigned watches, arguing the government agency made a mistake. Masimo wants the agency to reverse its decision and also ban the new watches.
The legal war also extends into regular federal courtrooms. Masimo previously sued Apple in a California federal court for blatant patent infringement and the theft of corporate trade secrets. In a massive victory for the medical company, a California jury awarded Masimo a staggering $634 million in damages during a November patent trial. Apple firmly disagrees with the massive jury verdict and has publicly stated that it plans to appeal the decision to a higher court.
