- Oura has won a patent case against Ultrahuman
- It means Ultrahuman’s smart rings are now banned from the US
- RingConn has reached a settlement with Oura that ends its ongoing dispute
Bad news, Ultrahuman fans: the popular smart ring maker has been forced to halt sales of its devices in the US after it lost a patent case against rival firm Oura, with the US International Trade Commission (ITC) ruling that Ultrahuman infringed upon Oura’s patents. This now has significant ramifications for Ultrahuman and users of its devices.
According to a blog post by Oura, the “ITC’s final ruling enforces exclusion and cease-and-desist orders.” What this means in practice is that Ultrahuman is now banned from importing and selling its smart rings in the US, strongly restricting a major player from operating in the wearables market – at least for the time being.
However, retailers won’t be able to import or stock the Ultrahuman Ring Air beyond what is kept in their existing inventory. Once that runs out, you’ll no longer be able to buy the device if you live in the US.
In response to the patent case, Ultrahuman said that “A new ring design is already in development and will launch in the U.S. as soon as possible,” and that it is also exploring whether a “Made in USA” Ring Air could be produced at its Texas facility.
As well as that, Ultrahuman added: “We also eagerly await the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office’s review of the validity of Oura’s ‘178 patent, which it acquired in 2023, and is central to the ITC ruling. A decision is expected in December.”
Better news for RingConn
The patent dispute centers on the design of smart rings that aim to rival Oura, specifically those made by Ultrahuman and competitor RingConn.
The legal judgement – which was first made earlier this year, with the ban set to come into effect on October 21 – declared that Ultrahuman and RingConn had infringed on Oura’s patents relating to the ring’s form factor.
RingConn, however, seems to have fared better than Ultrahuman. That’s because it has reached a settlement with Oura whereby all existing disputes between the two companies in the US have been resolved. Oura has granted RingConn a multi-year patent license, meaning you can continue to buy RingConn wearables in the US.
It’s unknown if this is a route that Ultrahuman will take, but it doesn’t seem to have opted to do so yet. If you’re a fan of the company’s products, you’ll have to watch closely to see what happens in the coming months.
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