Apple Faces US Ban on Latest Watches Amid Patent Dispute with Masimo

In a recent development, a federal appeals court has mandated a temporary halt on the US sales of Apple's latest smartwatch models, including the Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2. This decision stems from an ongoing patent dispute with health technology company Masimo, headquartered in southern California. Masimo had previously filed a complaint with the US International Trade Commission (ITC), leading to an October ruling that temporarily suspended the import of the Apple Watch models in question.

The contested technology involves the detection of blood-oxygen levels, with Masimo asserting its invention of the technology and alleging that Apple recruited key employees to gain access to this knowledge. Apple, however, disputes the ITC's decision, plans to remove the technology temporarily from the watches, and has appealed the ruling in the federal appeals court. The resolution of this dispute may take a year or more.

With inputs from AFP