Key Highlights
- Apple Watch 9 and Ultra 2 were launched in September 2023.
- It has been found that Apple stole the patents on blood oxygen saturation technology held by health tech company Masimo, leading to the ban of Apple Watch Series 9 and Watch Ultra 2 models.
- After careful consideration, U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai came to a decision not to revoke the ban.
Apple has appealed the International Trade Commission’s ruling to prohibit the sale of Watch Series 9 and Watch Ultra 2 models in the United States after US President Biden’s administration failed to veto an agency’s order against banning the wearables.
Apple Watch Series 9 and Watch Ultra 2 models have been officially banned in the US after which the company is challenging the federal ban. The company is also asking for an emergency stay on the ban for at least two weeks while it decides on revised versions of the prohibited models.
The decision was made after the International Trade Commission (ITC) ruled in October that specific Apple Watch models violated a medical technology company named Masimo’s blood oxygen saturation technology patent.
Masimo has charged Apple with copying its pulse oximetry technology, hiring away its staff, and then integrating it into the Apple Watch.
The U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) prohibits the company from importing and selling Apple Watches equipped with blood-oxygen level reading technology.
In its filing, Apple claimed that it would cause irreparable harm if the devices were taken off the shelves while the case was pending.
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The document states that the Exclusion Order Enforcement Branch of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection will decide whether to approve updated Watch models.
According to an Apple representative, the business vehemently disagrees with the ITC’s ruling. According to a statement given to Reuters the company said, “We strongly disagree with the USITC decision and resulting exclusion order, and are taking all measures to return Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2 to customers in the U.S. as soon as possible.”
