Potential Apple Watch Ban Issued by U.S. Trade Tribunal in Masimo Patent Battle

The U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) on Thursday ordered a ban on Apple Watch imports into the country after finding that Apple violated pulse oximetry company Masimo's patents with the devices (via Reuters).

apple watch 6s 202009
The ban is now subject to presidential review, so it does not take effect immediately, and Apple can take the ban to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit after the 60-day review period ends. Presidents have rarely vetoed bans in the past.

"Masimo has wrongly attempted to use the ITC to keep a potentially lifesaving product from millions of U.S. consumers while making way for their own watch that copies Apple," an Apple spokesperson said. "While today's decision has no immediate impact on sales of Apple Watch, we believe it should be reversed, and will continue our efforts to appeal."

Masimo Chief Executive Officer Joe Kiani said the decision "sends a powerful message that even the world's largest company is not above the law."

Since 2021, Masimo has been embroiled in an ongoing battle with Apple over several health capabilities found in some Apple Watch models, and Masimo has been pushing to have the models banned in the United States. The ITC decision did not specify which models of Apple Watches would be affected by the ban, but Masimo's original complaint said the Apple Watch Series 6, released in 2020, infringed its patents.

Masimo accuses Apple of having illegally poached Masimo employees and stole trade secrets when developing the Apple Watch. The company is seeking over $1.8 billion in damages and co-ownership of five Apple pulse oximetry patents that Masimo says use its technology.

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office ended up invalidating all but two of the patents, but the ITC in January said that Apple had infringed on a Masimo patent relating to light-based technology for reading blood-oxygen levels.

Apple is also facing an Apple Watch import ban in a separate patent court battle with medical technology company AliveCor. The ITC issued a ban in February, and the Biden administration declined to overrule the decision, but the ban has been placed on hold while proceedings over the validity of AliveCor's patents are completed.

Related Roundup: Apple Watch 10
Buyer's Guide: Apple Watch (Caution)

Popular Stories

iPhone 17 Pro in Hand Feature Lowgo

iPhone 17 Pro Coming Soon With These 14 New Features

Friday July 4, 2025 1:05 pm PDT by
Apple's next-generation iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are just over two months away, and there are plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models. Latest Rumors These rumors surfaced in June and July:Apple logo repositioned: Apple's logo may have a lower position on the back of the iPhone 17 Pro models, compared to previous...
Apple Watch Ultra Night Mode Screen

Apple Watch Ultra 3 Launching Later This Year With Two Key Upgrades

Wednesday July 2, 2025 1:13 pm PDT by
The long wait for an Apple Watch Ultra 3 appears to be nearly over, and it is rumored to feature both satellite connectivity and 5G support. Apple Watch Ultra's existing Night Mode In his latest Power On newsletter, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said that the Apple Watch Ultra 3 is on track to launch this year with "significant" new features, including satellite connectivity, which would let you...
iPhone 17 Pro in Hand Feature Lowgo

iPhone 17 Pro Max Battery Capacity Leaked

Thursday July 3, 2025 5:40 am PDT by
The iPhone 17 Pro Max will feature the biggest ever battery in an iPhone, according to the Weibo leaker known as "Instant Digital." In a new post, the leaker listed the battery capacities of the iPhone 11 Pro Max through to the iPhone 16 Pro Max, and added that the iPhone 17 Pro Max will feature a battery capacity of 5,000mAh: iPhone 11 Pro Max: 3,969mAh iPhone 12 Pro Max: 3,687mAh...
airpods pro 2

AirPods Pro 3 to Help Maintain Apple's Place in Earbud Market Amid Increasing Low-Cost Competition

Thursday July 3, 2025 7:25 am PDT by
Apple's position as the dominant force in the global true wireless stereo (TWS) earbud market is expected to continue through 2025, according to Counterpoint Research. The forecast outlines a 3% year-over-year increase in global TWS unit shipments for 2025, signaling a transition from rapid growth to a more mature phase for the category. While Apple is set to remain the leading brand by...
iphone 16 pro models 1

Here's How the iPhone 17 Pro Max Will Compare to the iPhone 17 Pro

Saturday July 5, 2025 1:00 pm PDT by
Apple should unveil the iPhone 17 series in September, and there might be one bigger difference between the Pro and Pro Max models this year. As always, the Pro Max model will be larger than the Pro model:iPhone 17 Pro: 6.3-inch display iPhone 17 Pro Max: 6.9-inch displayGiven the Pro Max is physically larger than the Pro, it has more internal space, allowing for a larger battery and...
apple silicon mac lineup 2024 feature purple m5

Apple's Upcoming Macs Listed in New Report

Thursday July 3, 2025 9:09 am PDT by
AppleInsider's Marko Zivkovic today shared a list of alleged identifiers for future Mac models, which should roll out over the next year or so. The report does not reveal anything too surprising, but it does serve as further evidence that Apple is seemingly working on new models of every Mac, including the MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, iMac, Mac mini, Mac Studio, and Mac Pro. Apple is...

Top Rated Comments

StudioMacs Avatar
22 months ago
I wasn’t expecting an article about a new Apple Watch band in October.
Score: 26 Votes (Like | Disagree)
labyrinth153 Avatar
22 months ago

Just knowing how ruthless Apple is in general, my gut instinct is that they're in the wrong.

As far as being a lifesaving product, the oxygen saturation meter on the Apple Watch is treacherously inaccurate.

I have an 02 of 88-92% at sea level.

I just completed a cross country move where I had to reach altitude of 8,000 feet while being driven (you surprisingly cannot avoid altitude no matter which way you drive across the US but 8,000 feet is about the minimum along I-40; 8,000 feet is also what airplanes are pressurized to).

I had a Masimo MightySat, a cheap back up pulse oximeter, and my Series 7 Apple Watch.

When I wasn't on supplemental oxygen, the Masimo and my cheap Amazon back-up pulse ox would show my oxygen going down to 82%.

The Apple Watch Series 7 continuously showed either normal oxygen saturation or inability to read the oxygen saturation.

It's a junk product not fit for purpose of measuring oxygen saturation and should be off the market for that purpose, unless all you want it to do is show you have normal oxygen saturation. Which makes it just a dangerous gimmick.

Apple sold Masimo products in its stores, and it's very typical of them to bring a smaller company into the fold before stabbing them in the back.
An actual blood oxygen level of 82% would be life threatening and you wouldn’t be checking it on a watch.
Score: 19 Votes (Like | Disagree)
WiiDSmoker Avatar
22 months ago
And boy did they patent it!!
Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)
jayducharme Avatar
22 months ago

Piracy is immoral
Unless you’re in China, where it’s standard business practice.
Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)
sw1tcher Avatar
22 months ago

The U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) on Thursday ordered a ban on Apple Watch imports into the country after finding that Apple violated pulse oximetry company Masimo's patents with the devices (via Reuters ('https://www.reuters.com/technology/us-trade-tribunal-issues-potential-apple-watch-import-ban-masimo-patent-fight-2023-10-26/')).

"Masimo has wrongly attempted to use the ITC to keep a potentially lifesaving product from millions of U.S. consumers while making way for their own watch that copies Apple," an Apple spokesperson said. "While today's decision has no immediate impact on sales of Apple Watch, we believe it should be reversed, and will continue our efforts to appeal."
If Apple did violate a patent, then what does it matter if the product ban results in keeping a potentially lifesaving product off the market for millions of U.S. consumers, or that Masimo will use their patent to make their own watch? That's a red herring.

Why can't/doesnt Apple simply pay Masimo to license the patent?
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
t0rqx Avatar
22 months ago
Is this the reason the watch has been stagnating for 5 years?
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)