A federal jury in California has found that Apple infringed on a Masimo patent for its pulse oximetry technology and awarded Masimo $634 million in damages, Masimo said Friday.
“This is a significant win in our ongoing efforts to protect our innovations and intellectual property, which is crucial to our ability to develop technology that benefits patients,” the company said in a statement. “We remain committed to defending our IP rights moving forward.”
Apple told MedTech Dive it would appeal the verdict.
The tech giant disagrees with the decision, which it believes is contrary to the facts, an Apple spokesperson said in an emailed statement. “Masimo is a medical device company that does not sell any products to consumers,” the spokesperson said.
The two companies have been locked in a yearslong patent battle. According to Apple, Masimo has sued the company in multiple courts over the past six years, asserting more than 25 patents, but most have been found to be invalid.
However, after the U.S. International Trade Commission issued a limited exclusion order in 2023, finding that Apple had violated some of Masimo’s patents, Apple introduced a redesigned blood oxygen feature in August for some Apple Watch Series 9, Series 10 and Apple Watch Ultra 2 users.
Needham analyst Mike Matson, in a note Monday, estimated it could take up to two years for an appeal by Apple in the patent litigation case to be resolved, delaying Masimo’s collection of damages.
“When and if [Masimo] ultimately collects the damages, we expect it to use the cash for share repurchases and/or debt repayment,” Matson wrote.
Separately, the ITC on Friday said it will hold a new proceeding to determine if Apple’s updated watches should be subject to the import ban, according to a notice on the agency’s website.
