The US appeals court has ruled Apple’s legal battle over patents covering a blood oxygen measurement feature following which the tech giant’s two flagship watch models’ sale in the country would be banned until further orders.
The Medical technology company allegedly claimed that Apple used its blood oxygen feature in its popular devices Series 9 and Ultra 2 watches. This legal fight is expected to continue for a year.
According to the legal declaration, Apple cannot import the affected watches starting at 5 pm from Thursday. Analysts expect Apple to disable the disputed feature and carry on with its sales to comply with the ban, maintaining its flagship device presence in the United States.
Addressing this matter, Joe Kiani, Masimo’s Founder and Chief Executive said that it’s the responsibility of all the largest US companies to respect the intellectual rights of American inventors and must deal with the consequences when they are caught infringing others’ patents. However, Apple has chosen to not comment on this matter.
Separately, US Customs and Border Protection has recently determined that a proposed redesign from Apple would allow it to import reconfigured versions of its latest Series 9 and Ultra 2 Apple Watches without violating the ITC’s restrictions, the report added.
Apple is yet to reveal its stance on the redesign, which is likely to include an update to the watches’ software.
