Apple has announced the suspension of sales for the Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2 in the United States due to a patent dispute with Masimo, a developer of medical technologies, according to a report by MacRumors. The dispute involves patents related to the technology of contactless measurement of oxygen in the blood.
Starting from December 21, the Apple Watch will no longer be available for purchase on the Apple website, and from December 24, sales will be halted in Apple’s retail stores. However, sales in other countries have not been suspended at this time.
The US International Trade Commission (ITC) ruled in October 2023 that Apple cannot sell the Apple Watch Series 9 and Ultra 2 with the disputed sensor in the United States. President Joe Biden has the authority to review this decision until December 25 and potentially veto it, although such occurrences are rare in ITC proceedings.
Apple has expressed its strong disagreement with the ITC decision and stated that it will utilize legal and technical means to resume the availability of the Series 9 and Ultra 2 as soon as possible. If there is no presidential veto, Apple will submit a request to the Court of Appeal on December 26, 2023.
According to MacRumors, Masimo has been accusing Apple of poaching its employees and stealing trade secrets since 2020 to develop technology for measuring blood oxygen levels, which is utilized in the Apple Watch Series 6 and newer models. In January, the court determined that Apple had infringed upon Masimo’s patent relating to the light-based method of determining oxygen levels.
Masimo has asserted that even the largest company in the world must obey the law and has called for respect towards the decision of the trade commission.