Apple found guilty of heart rate patent infringement (again); ramifications unclear

If you're fascinated by how good your Apple Watch is at measuring your heart rate, there might be some patent infringement involved.

The International Trade Commission (ITC) has upheld its previous ruling that Apple violated AliveCor's patents related to heart rate monitoring. The ruling will now be reviewed by President Biden for 60 days. During this time, the ITC's Limited Exclusion Order, which is a cease-and-desist order, would require Apple to pay a bond of $2.00 for every infringing Apple Watch imported or sold.

"Today's ITC ruling is a win for innovation and consumer choice," said Priya Abani, CEO of AliveCor. "The ruling underscores the importance of upholding intellectual property rights for companies like AliveCor and scores of others whose innovations are at risk of being suppressed by a Goliath like Apple." Apple has not yet commented on the ruling.

However, the ITC has suspended the enforcement of the order while AliveCor appeals a ruling by the US Patent Trial and Appeal Board that invalidated the same three patents in December. It is unclear whether President Biden will agree with the order.

There's another case in which AliveCor is suing Apple for damages in the Northern District of California, set to go to trial in 2024.

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