Noah Johnson
Jan 18, 2024
After a brief hiatus in the ban on the sales and imports of Apple Watch, a US appeals court has announced to uphold the ban in the US.
The recent development serves as a revival to the dispute between Apple, the iPhone maker, and the medical technology manufacturer Masimo, which came to a halt after Apple Watches were taken down from all the retail and online stores of the tech giant.
Last week, Apple announced it reinstate the sales and imports of the most sold smartwatch in the world without utilising the blood oxygen patent.
Read more: Does Apple Watch Series 9 include a charger? Here’s the answer
The patent maker last year filed a lawsuit against Apple, alleging that its patent was nonconsensually incorporated into Apple's smartwatches and without receiving a fair share, as reported by BBC.
Masino and Cercacor accused Apple, with the help of company insiders, stole the technology it produced to enable its smartwatches to measure the wearer's oxygen levels in the blood.
Among many, the most prominent Apple Watch variants that have been integrating the feature since 2020 include the Series 9 and Ultra 2.
After being restored, the ban came into effect from 17:00 ET (22:00 GMT) on Thursday.
The ruling states that "even the largest and most powerful companies must respect the intellectual rights of American inventors and must deal with the consequences when they are caught infringing others' patents," said Masimo's founder and CEO Joe Kiani.
On the contrary, Apple condemned the perspective endorsed by the US International Trade Commission which held it accountable for committing contraventions of some patent rights.
