Apple Ordered to Pay Masimo USD 634 Million in Smartwatch Patent Case

A federal jury in California said Apple owes medical-monitoring technology company Masimo USD 634 million for infringing a patent covering blood-oxygen reading technology. The jury agreed with Masimo that the Apple Watch’s workout mode and heart rate notification features violated Masimo’s patent rights, a Masimo spokesperson confirmed.

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An Apple spokesperson said the company disagreed with the verdict and would appeal. “Over the past six years, Masimo has sued Apple in multiple courts and asserted over 25 patents, the majority of which have been found to be invalid,” the spokesperson said.

The spokesperson added, “The single patent in this case expired in 2022 and is specific to historic patient monitoring technology from decades ago.” Masimo, in a statement, called the verdict “a significant win in our ongoing efforts to protect our innovations and intellectual property.”

Credit: APPLE

The California lawsuit is one branch of a contentious, multi-front patent fight between Apple and Irvine, California-based Masimo. Masimo has accused Apple of hiring away its employees and stealing its pulse oximetry technology for use in Apple Watches.

The dispute led a U.S. trade tribunal to block imports of Apple’s Series 9 and Ultra 2 smartwatches in 2023 after finding Apple’s technology infringed Masimo’s patents. Apple removed blood-oxygen reading technology from its watches to avoid the ban.

An updated version of the technology was reintroduced in Aug. with approval from U.S. Customs and Border Protection. The ITC separately decided to hold a new proceeding to determine whether Apple’s updated watches should be subject to the ban.

Masimo has filed an ongoing lawsuit against Customs over the decision. Apple has separately challenged the import ban at a federal appeals court.

Credit: APPLE

A California judge declared a mistrial in Masimo’s trade-secret case against Apple in 2023 after a jury failed to reach a unanimous verdict. Apple won a minimal USD 250 verdict against Masimo in Delaware last year over allegations that Masimo’s smartwatches infringe two Apple design patents.

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• A federal jury ordered Apple to pay medical-monitoring technology company Masimo USD 634 million for patent infringement.

• The verdict concerned Masimo’s patent covering blood-oxygen reading technology used in Apple Watch features.

• Apple expressed disagreement with the verdict and stated its intention to appeal the decision.
  

Source: REUTERS