The patent dispute between Apple and the medical technology company Fields leads to the removal of two Apple Watch models from the American market. Specifically it is about Apple Watch Series 9 e Apple Watch Ultra 2, which will disappear from the Cupertino giant’s online store from December 21st. Furthermore, starting from December 24th, the devices will no longer be purchasable in physical retail stores. Nothing should change for the international and European market, where smartwatches will remain commercially available.
What happened between Apple and Masimo? The patent dispute
The dispute dates back to 2020, when Masimo accused Apple of poaching its employees and stealing its trade secrets to develop a new functionality for measuring blood oxygen. Masimo, which is a leading medical technology company, produces its own devices for monitoring vital signs, and had therefore developed its own technology which, according to the company itself, was stolen from it by Apple.
In October the ITC (International Trade Commission) recognized Masimo’s reasons, forcing Apple to withdraw its devices equipped with the “incriminated” technology from the market. This is available by default on all Apple Watch Series 6 and later (including the Series 9 and Ultra 2 launched this year).
Joe Kiani, CEO of Masimocommented on the ITC’s decision with satisfaction, saying that it “sends a strong message that even the largest company in the world is not above the law.”
Apple’s official press release
In contrast, Apple expressed its strong disagreement with the ITC’s order. The tech giant said it is “pursuing a number of legal and technical options” to ensure the availability of smartwatches resumes as soon as possible. Below is the official note issued by the Cupertino offices.
“A presidential review period is underway regarding an order from the US International Trade Commission on a technical intellectual property dispute related to Apple Watch devices containing the Blood Oxygen feature. While the review period doesn’t end until December 25, Apple is taking preventative measures to comply with the ruling. These include the suspension of sales of Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2 on Apple.com starting December 21st and in Apple stores after December 24th. The decision currently has no impact on sales of the devices in other countries.
Apple’s teams work tirelessly to create products and services that bring industry-leading health, wellness and safety features to users. Apple strongly disagrees with the order and is pursuing a number of legal and technical options to ensure the Apple Watch is available to customers.
Should the order be confirmed, Apple will continue to take steps to return Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2 to customers in the United States as soon as possible.”