In a recent development, Apple has lodged a strong protest against the US International Trade Commission’s decision to ban its latest Series 9 and Ultra 2 smartwatches in the United States. The ban came in response to allegations by Irvine, California-based Masimo that Apple’s technology for reading blood-oxygen levels infringed upon its patents.
Apple is also facing a major anti trust lawsuit.
Apple has maintained monopoly power in the smartphone market, not simply by staying ahead of the competition on the merits, but by violating federal antitrust law. If left unchallenged, Apple will only continue to strengthen its smartphone monopoly.
Apple’s stance, presented to the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, asserts that the ITC’s decision was flawed due to what it calls a “series of substantively defective patent rulings.” Moreover, Apple contends that Masimo failed to demonstrate sufficient investment in developing competing U.S. products, a factor crucial for justifying the ban.
Apple to extract higher prices from consumers, impose higher fees on developers and creators, and to throttle competitive alternatives from rival technologies
The legal battle intensified as Masimo accused Apple of poaching its employees and misappropriating its pulse oximetry technology following discussions about potential collaboration. This technology was first introduced by Apple in its Series 6 Apple Watches back in 2020.
Despite Apple’s efforts to temporarily lift the ban, the Federal Circuit reinstated it in January, prompting Apple to modify the watches sold during the appeal by removing pulse oximetry capabilities. This modification is projected to endure for at least a year.
However, US Customs and Border Protection conducted a separate assessment in January, determining that the redesigned watches did not infringe upon Masimo’s patents and thus could be exempt from the ban. Masimo concurred, stating that the watches no longer possessed pulse oximetry functionality.
In its latest defense, Apple has argued that Masimo’s patents are invalid and that its watches do not breach them. Moreover, it emphasized that the ban should be overturned since Masimo’s wearable covered by the patents was merely a hypothetical concept at the time of filing the complaint with the ITC in 2021.
The outcome of this legal dispute remains uncertain, as both tech giants continue to vigorously advocate their respective positions before the courts.
