Apple has temporarily escaped the renewed threat of a U.S. import ban on its Apple Watch smart wristwatch. An administrative law judge at the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) issued an initial determination that the Apple Watch models currently on sale do not infringe Masimo's blood-oxygen measurement patents.
According to Reuters, on the 19th (local time) the ITC administrative law judge issued a preliminary finding declining to grant Masimo's request for a new import ban on Apple Watch devices. As a result, Apple has avoided the immediate possibility of additional import restrictions on current products. However, the ITC plans to convene the full commission to review the initial decision and issue a final determination.
On the same day, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit ruled to uphold the ITC's 2023 import ban decision on earlier versions of the Apple Watch. But the ruling targets past models, so it does not directly affect products currently sold in the United States.
Apple said in a statement that it "welcomes the ITC's decision" and "will consider all options for further review of the appeals court ruling." It added, "Masimo has made dozens of false claims against Apple over the past six years, most of which have been dismissed."
The dispute between the two companies escalated in 2020 when Masimo sued, alleging that the Apple Watch's blood-oxygen feature infringed its patents. In Oct. 2023, the ITC found the Apple Watch infringed patents and ordered an import ban, and Apple for a time sold the product in the United States with that feature disabled. Apple later redesigned the product to reintroduce the feature, and the ITC launched a reinvestigation.
Meanwhile, a jury at the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California in Nov. last year found that an earlier Apple Watch model infringed Masimo's patents and returned a $634 million damages verdict, and Apple said it would appeal.