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Masimo, an American company that develops medical monitoring technologies, has won another round of litigation with Apple . A federal jury awarded it $634 million for infringing a patent on blood oxygen-sensing technology.
According to Reuters, a jury found that the Apple Watch’s workout mode and heart rate notifications infringed on Masimo’s patented technology. The court estimated that the pulse oximetry features were implemented in approximately 43 million devices. The jury rejected Apple’s request to limit damages to between $3 million and $6 million. Masimo sought damages between $634 million and $749 million , and the court ultimately awarded the lower of those amounts.
Apple has already announced its intention to appeal the decision . Masimo, for its part, called the verdict “a significant victory in our ongoing efforts to protect innovation and intellectual property, which are critical to the development of technologies that help patients.” The company also emphasized that it will continue to pursue its rights.
The dispute between the companies has been ongoing since 2020. Subsequently, California-based Masimo sued Apple, accusing it of illegally using pulse oximetry technology in the Apple Watch, selling watches with this feature between 2020 and 2022, embezzling employees, and stealing key developments.
In 2023, the U.S. International Trade Commission issued a ruling that effectively banned the import of Apple Watches with blood oxygen measurement capabilities, including the Series 9 and Ultra 2 models . Apple subsequently disabled the pulse oximetry feature for devices on the U.S. market before introducing an updated version of the Watch, announced in August of this year.
Masimo believed that U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s (CBP) approval of the updated devices violated the commission’s ruling and filed a separate lawsuit against the agency. The company believes that CBP should enforce the ITC’s bans rather than seek workarounds that would render these measures ineffective.
Masimo continues to seek an injunction against Apple’s use of the controversial technology in the United States.
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