A US trade court made a preliminary ruling. It said current Apple Watches do not violate Masimo's patents. This rejects Masimo's request to ban Apple smartwatches. Apple's win is temporary as the legal battle continues.
Apple adjusted its watches to get around an import ban. The ban was from a US trade group in 2023. One judge agreed with Apple. The judge said the redesigned watches do not break Masimo's patents. These patents relate to blood oxygen measurement tech. The full commission will now decide if it supports this ruling.
Separately, a US appeals court upheld a 2023 ruling. That ruling blocked Apple from importing watches that broke Masimo's patents. Apple has appealed the import ban. It is appealing the import of its redesigned watches.
Apple is happy with the trade commission's decision. It will review the appeals court ruling. Apple stated that Masimo made many false claims over six years. Almost all of them were rejected.
These cases are part of a big patent fight. Apple and Masimo are in a complex legal dispute. Masimo makes medical monitoring tech. It accused Apple of hiring its staff. Masimo claims Apple stole its blood oxygen tech ideas.
In December 2023, a trade group blocked imports. It banned Apple's Series 9 and Ultra 2 watches. This was after finding they broke Masimo's patents. Apple removed the blood oxygen feature. This was to avoid the ban. It later added an updated version. It got approval from US Customs and Border Protection.
Masimo filed a separate lawsuit. It sued Customs over approving the redesigned watches. The updated watches show health data. This data comes from the blood oxygen sensor. It shows on linked Apple devices like iPhones. It does not show on the watch itself. The first version showed this data on the watch too.
Masimo also sued Apple in California. It accused Apple of patent violation and theft. Masimo won $634 million in a patent trial in November. Apple said it will appeal this verdict.