Apple Loses Patent Battle To Masimo

Apple has suffered a setback in its long-running Apple Watch patent infringement battle with medical technology company Masimo. A US court has ruled that Apple did infringe one of Masimo’s patents in the Apple Watch Series 6 and up.

Right before the release of the first Apple Watch, the Cupertino-based company sought to collaborate with Masimo. But Masimo’s CEO said the proposed association was to poach certain employees and extract information and expertise on certain Masimo products. More precisely, the modern blood oxygen sensor tech that’s used in hospitals.

Apple did indeed hire a number of Masimo staff, including the company’s chief medical officer, ahead of the launch of the Apple Watch and in 2020 Masimo sued Apple  for infringing 10 different Masimo patents and asked for a ban on Apple Watch sales in the US.

The final decision will be made by the United States International Trade Commission (USITC). The commission will have to look closely into Apple’s pulse oximeter and its implementation and decide whether or not Apple used Masimo’s trade secrets to develop the mobile tech. If Masimo wins again the USITC evaluation then Apple risks having all Apple watches series 6 and up pulled out of the market.