A federal jury in California ruled Friday that Apple must pay medical device maker Masimo $634 million for infringing a patent on blood oxygen monitoring technology.
According to Reuters, a jury found that the Apple Watch’s workout modes and heart rate notifications violated Masimo’s patents.
“This is an important victory in our continued efforts to protect our innovation and intellectual property, which is critical to our ability to develop technology that benefits patients,” Masimo said in a statement. “We remain committed to protecting our intellectual property rights.”
An Apple spokesperson told Reuters the company plans to appeal the ruling, adding: “The unitary patent in this case expires in 2022 and is specific to historic patient monitoring technology that is decades old.”
TechCrunch has reached out to Apple for additional comment.
The legal dispute between Masimo and Apple focuses on pulse oximetry, which uses optical sensors to detect blood flow. Massimo accused Apple of firing employees, including its chief medical officer, and infringing on patents related to pulse oximetry technology.
The U.S. International Trade Commission sided with Masimo in 2023, banning Apple from importing Apple Watches equipped with blood oxygen monitoring capabilities. This is why the Apple Watch has not supported blood oxygen monitoring in recent years.
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Apple then announced in August this year that it would be introducing a new version of the feature designed to circumvent the ban. Blood oxygen readings are measured and calculated on the user’s paired iPhone, not on the Apple Watch itself.
Masimo is suing U.S. Customs and Border Protection for approving the import of an Apple Watch with a new blood oxygen system, while Apple is asking an appeals court to overturn the import ban.
Apple also countersued Masimo, winning a legal minimum payment of $250 after a jury found that Masimo had infringed Apple’s design patents.
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