Apple to stop selling flagship watch models to comply with impending ban
Earlier this year, a court ruled that Apple had infringed on medical technology company Masimo’s pulse oximeter patent. In late October, the US International Trade Commission (ITC) issued a potential import ban. To comply with that ruling, Apple has decided to stop selling the Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2 in the US, reports 9to5Mac.
Apparently, Apple set up a meeting with Masimo in 2013 on the pretext that it wanted to discuss a potential collaboration whereas its real motive was to identify employees it wanted to poach.
Apple ended up hiring many Masimo employees ahead of the launch of the Apple Watch. Masimo CEO Joe Kiano said that Apple was probably after the company's blood oxygen sensor technology.
Masimo sued Apple in 2020 for stealing trade secrets and violating 10 of its patents. The complaint said that the infringing models were made in China and wanted Apple Watch sales to be banned.
In January, a US court found that Apple had infringed on one of Masimo's pulse oximeter patents. Apple first added the tech to 2020's Watch Series 6 and every flagship model released since then features blood oxygen monitoring.
From the date of the decision, President Joe Biden's administration had 60 days to veto the ban. Even though the Presidential Review Period expires on December 25, Apple has decided to preemptively comply with ITC’s decision.
The ruling only affects the sales of the Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2. Since only Apple is prohibited from selling these watches, they will continue to be available at Amazon and Best Buy. After December 25, Apple won't be able to sell the affected models to resellers either.
The decision doesn't affect Apple Watch models that have already been sold in any way. Here's Apple's statement regarding its decision to halt the sales of its flagship watch models in the US:
A Presidential Review Period is in progress regarding an order from the U.S. International Trade Commission on a technical intellectual property dispute pertaining to Apple Watch devices containing the Blood Oxygen feature. While the review period will not end until December 25, Apple is preemptively taking steps to comply should the ruling stand. This includes pausing sales of the Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2 from Apple.com starting December 21, and from Apple retail locations after December 24.
Apple’s teams work tirelessly to create products and services that empower users with industry-leading health, wellness, and safety features. Apple strongly disagrees with the order and is pursuing a range of legal and technical options to ensure that Apple Watch is available to customers.
Should the order stand, Apple will continue to take all measures to return Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2 to customers in the U.S. as soon as possible.
FCC OKs Cingular\'s purchase of AT&T Wireless
Things that are NOT allowed: