Apple faces another setback as it has been prohibited from selling two smartwatch models in the US amid an ongoing patent dispute with medical technology company Masimo.
The US appeals court reversed an earlier decision that permitted the sale of Apple’s Series 9 and Ultra 2 watches during legal proceedings.
The ban affects both sales and imports of the watches.
From today, Apple are BANNED from selling the Apple Watch after claims of running on stolen technology pic.twitter.com/9qJYbinYtz
— Pubity (@pubity) January 18, 2024
In response, Apple announced its intention to release watches without the contested blood oxygen feature to keep them available for purchase.
The dispute revolves around allegations by Masimo and its spin-off Cercacor that Apple engaged in employee poaching and technology theft related to blood oxygen level measurement.
In October, the US International Trade Commission ruled in favor of Masimo, stating that Apple violated certain patent rights and imposing restrictions on imports and sales.
While the ban was temporarily halted during the appeal, the recent court decision has reinstated restrictions, preventing the import of the watches from 17:00 ET (22:00 GMT) on Thursday.
Apple expressed strong disagreement with the commission’s assessment of patent violations and, pending the appeal, stated it is taking measures to comply with the ruling while minimizing disruption for customers.
The legal battle underscores the challenges faced by major tech companies in navigating intellectual property disputes, emphasizing the need to respect the intellectual rights of inventors.
Despite the legal hurdles, Apple remains at the forefront of the global smartphone market, outpacing Samsung for the first time in 12 years and representing more than 20% of phones shipped last year, as per the International Data Corporation’s data.