Apple’s Latest Smartwatches Barred from US Sales
Apple Watches Banned in US Following Patent Dispute
The US International Trade Commission’s decision to ban the import and sale of certain Apple smartwatches has been upheld by the Biden administration. This comes after a complaint from the medical monitoring technology company Masimo, which alleged that Apple violated two of its patents.
As a result of the decision, Apple’s newest smartwatch models, the Apple Watch Ultra 2 and Watch Series 9, have been banned from being sold in the country. The US Trade Representative, in a statement, reiterated the violation of Masimo’s patents and the decision not to overturn the ruling.
In response, Apple has appealed the decision to the US Federal Court of Appeals and has requested that the ruling be paused. The company is also waiting for the evaluation of the US Customs and Border Protection, which will determine whether the redesigned versions of the watches still violate Masimo’s patents.
The dispute centers around the ability of the Apple Watch to read blood oxygen levels, which Masimo claims infringes on its pulse oximeter patents. In light of the ban, Apple has announced that it will stop sales of the Apple Watch Ultra 2 and Apple Watch Series 9 in its stores.
However, it is important to note that other smartwatch models, such as Apple’s lower-priced Apple Watch SE, which do not include the feature of reading blood oxygen levels, will not be affected by this dispute.
It remains to be seen how the legal battle between Apple and Masimo will unfold, and whether there will be any further developments in the ban on Apple’s smartwatches in the US market.
