Apple granted temporary relief with Apple Watch ban until January 10

At the end of October this year, the United States International Trade Commission (ITC) ruled that Apple’s Apple Watch, equipped with blood oxygen monitoring capabilities, infringed upon several blood oximeter patents held by the medical technology company Masimo. This led to a prohibition on the entry of Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2 into the U.S. market, with the corresponding ban taking effect on December 26th, local time.

Since the U.S. government did not intervene as Apple had hoped, allowing the continued sale of these wearable devices before the enforcement of the ban, Apple chose to appeal against the ITC’s decision. Apple requested that the Federal Circuit Court of Appeals temporarily lift the ban while reviewing its appeal. According to Wccftech, Apple’s emergency measures were effective, as the Federal Circuit Court of Appeals suspended the ban until January 10, 2024.

This suspension coincides with the holiday sales season in the United States, allowing Apple to capitalize on this critical sales period. In their appeal documents, Apple mentioned that the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) planned to reassess, by January 12th, whether redesigned Apple Watch products infringed upon Masimo’s patents. This assessment is outside the scope of the ITC’s ban and warrants an adequately extended suspension period, awaiting Customs’ decision.

Apple is employing all means to avert the ban, continuing the sale of the Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2, to avoid further losses. This latest announcement grants Apple additional time. During this period, Apple is likely to seek a settlement with Masimo, and it is widely anticipated that both parties will eventually opt for a compromise.