Apple must pay medical tech company Masimo $634 million to settle a patent dispute over Apple Watch blood oxygen monitoring.
According to Reuters, a federal jury found that the Apple Watch’s workout mode and heart-rate notification features violate Masimo’s patents. Apple plans to appeal, and tells Reuters that Masimo has been moving from court to court to try to score a victory.
“The single patent in this case expired in 2022 and is specific to historic patient-monitoring technology from decades ago,” Apple claims.
Masimo and Apple have been in a protracted legal battle since 2020, when Apple introduced the Series 6 smartwatch with blood oxygen monitoring, which can be used to provide early warning for things like heart issues or sleep apnea. Masimo accused Apple of poaching Masimo employees to help develop this sensor, and sued in district court before bringing the issue to the International Trade Commission (ITC). In 2023, the ITC ruled in Masimo’s favor, forcing Apple to suspend sales of the Series 9 and Ultra 2.
Apple removed the blood oxygen monitoring via a software update before reviving it in August with a new workaround. That prompted another lawsuit from Masimo, which sued US Customs and Border Protection for allowing the watches to be imported. That case is still ongoing.
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As Reuters notes, the $634 million judgment is just “one branch of a contentious, multi-front patent fight” between the two companies. Also in play: the ITC will decide whether Apple’s watches still violate Masimo’s patents and should be banned again.
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