Dive Brief:
- The International Trade Commission has let stand a judge’s finding that Apple’s redesigned watches do not infringe medical device maker Masimo’s patents for blood oxygen measuring technology.
- The ITC voted Friday not to review the administrative law judge’s ruling, issued in March. Both Apple and Masimo, a maker of pulse oximetry and patient monitoring devices, had filed petitions requesting the review.
- Apple, in an email to MedTech Dive, welcomed the ITC’s decision, which allows the company to continue to offer a version of its blood oxygen feature to U.S. customers. A spokesperson for Masimo declined to comment.
Dive Insight:
The ITC began investigating Apple’s use of light-based blood oxygen sensors in 2021 after Masimo filed a complaint alleging Apple imported and sold devices that infringed its patents. Apple disabled its original blood oxygen feature after the ITC found in October 2023 that the company violated some of Masimo patents.
Last summer, Apple introduced redesigned blood oxygen technology for the Apple Watch Series 9, Series 10 and Ultra 2 models through a software update. The change allowed sensor data from the watches’ blood oxygen app to be measured and calculated on a paired iPhone. Previously, the readings were displayed on the user’s watch.
Masimo, which in February agreed to be acquired by Danaher for $9.9 billion, has been embroiled in a patent battle with Apple in multiple courts. In November, a federal jury in California awarded Masimo $634 million in damages after finding that Apple infringed a single Masimo patent for its pulse oximetry technology.
“For more than six years, Masimo has waged a relentless legal campaign against Apple, and nearly all of its claims have been rejected,” Apple said. “We will always defend our innovations.”
The company, which introduced its health app in 2014, said its Series 11 and Ultra 3 watches also offer features that include an ECG app, sleep tracking, fall detection, wrist temperature sensing and notifications for irregular heart rhythms, hypertension and sleep apnea.
