A court has dismissed Apple’s attempts to void two patents held by medical products company Masimo for proprietary technology used to test blood oxygen levels.
Masimo has accused the tech giant of infringing on its patents with various health features on the Apple Watch, despite having no licensing agreement.
The U.S. International Trade Commission agreed, ruling that Apple had imported goods — namely its own Apple Watches — that infringe on two Masimo patents.
The specific patents revolve around Masimo’s pulse oximetry technology, which measures blood oxygen levels.
Masimo won an earlier court ruling that found a former employee stole trade secrets and later went to work for Apple, who soon after introduced pulse oximetry capability into Apple Watch.
Apple was aiming to have the relevant patents declared invalid by the USITC – namely, U.S. Patent No. 10,912,501 B1 (known as the ‘501 patent) and U.S. Patent No. 10,912,502 B1 (the ‘502 patent) — claiming the technology is “rendered obvious”, having taken from previously held patents.
Masimo has also filed a separate Federal Court suit in California, alleging patent infringement by Apple.
Considering that patent cases tend to stretch for years, any ruling that stops Apple from selling its Watch in the interim is likely to be a nightmare for the tech giant.
No doubt they will opt to strike some form of licensing deal with Masimo, despite the ill will.
