Apple insider says Apple appealed to a U.S. appeals court, arguing that the International Trade Commission’s (ITC) ban on Apple Watches with blood oxygen monitoring (pulse oximetry) should be reversed.
This dispute with medical tech firm Masimo has been ongoing for over a year. Masimo claims Apple’s blood oxygen feature in its latest Apple Watch models infringes on their patents. The ban only affects these new models, not previous versions.
Apple’s appeal
The legal battle over Apple Watches heats as the appeals court hears Apple’s arguments against the ITC’s ruling. Apple claims Masimo’s victory was built on shaky ground – questioning the strength of Masimo’s patents and their claims of a competing product.
According to Apple, Masimo’s blood oxygen technology patents are flawed, and their alleged plans for a competing smartwatch were just “ideas on paper” backed by no real investment. They argue that the ITC overstepped its bounds by issuing a ban when Masimo lacked domestic products to protect.
Adding fuel to the fire, Apple claims the original patents were updated just days after their watch launched, suggesting Masimo aimed to target them specifically. They believe Masimo’s reliance on computer-aided drawings, not a real product, proves the ITC’s decision needed to be revised.
Masimo will get a chance to respond, but Apple’s strongest argument might be that Masimo lacked a competing product, potentially weakening the entire ITC ban.
The case so far
Things got messy in early 2023. The US Trade Commission sided with Masimo in their patent dispute over the Apple Watch’s blood oxygen feature. Apple fought back, filing a lawsuit and appealing to the White House to block a sales ban, but came up short. To comply, they pulled the latest Apple Watches from US shelves just before Christmas.
A glimmer of hope emerged a few days later. Apple convinced a court to put the ban on hold while the case continued. Meanwhile, US customs said simply turning off the disputed feature could avoid the ban altogether. With the temporary hold expiring in January, Apple took that route, turning off the feature and resuming sales with a software update that could be reversed if they win in court. Masimo’s patent on the tech expires in 2028, so the fight might rage on for a while.