Apple said on Monday it was suspending sales of several models of its connected watches in the United States due to a patent dispute over blood oxygen detection, AFP reported.
The decision comes after the US International Trade Commission (USITC) recommended on October 27 that certain models of Apple’s connected watches cannot be imported into the United States because medical equipment maker Masimo claims they copied its technology.
The USITC issued a “limited exclusion order” against the designs, which was to take effect in sixty days unless the US government objects, California-based Massimo said at the time.
President Joe Biden’s office is reviewing the recommendation.
“(The president’s) review period does not end until December 25, but Apple is taking precautions to comply with the decision if it is upheld,” a spokesman for the US group told AFP on Monday.
These measures include suspending sales of the Apple Watch Series 9, launched in September, and the Apple Watch Ultra 2, starting December 21 on the giant’s website and after December 24 in its stores, the source continued.
“In this case, the decision of the ITC experts must be respected,” a spokesman for Massimo said when contacted by AFP on Monday.
“The decision to exclude certain foreign-made Apple Watch models proves that even the most powerful company in the world must comply with laws that protect intellectual property rights,” he added.
For its part, Apple believes that the American body is wrong and that its decision should be overturned, which it is ready to do in court if necessary.
In 2021, Massimo filed a lawsuit with the USITC, claiming that the Apple Watch 6, which went on sale in 2020 and was the first model to include a function to measure blood oxygen saturation levels, copied one of the patented light-based technologies.
“Massimo improperly attempted to use ITC to deny millions of American consumers access to a potentially life-saving product, making way for its own Apple-copycat watches,” he charged the Cupertino-based group in late October.
In late 2022, Apple filed two patent infringement lawsuits against Masimo, accusing it of copying the technology used in its watches. (photo: Ded Mityay, Dreamstime.com)
Source: Hot News
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