Medical technology company Masimo is suing US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) over its decision to allow Apple to restore the blood oxygen tracking feature on Apple Watches. The move comes after Apple announced a new “redesigned” pulse oximetry feature that calculates blood oxygen levels on iPhones, rather than watches.
Masimo claims that CBP helped create a loophole in the International Trade Commission’s patent ruling, which banned the feature on supported US Apple Watch models in December 2023. The company alleges that CBP failed to notify Masimo of its decision to reverse the ban, leaving it without an opportunity to review or challenge the new ruling.
Masimo is seeking a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction to prevent the new ruling from taking effect. The company argues that allowing Apple to restore the feature would “irreparably deprive” it of its right to be free from unfair trade practices and preserve its competitive standing in the US market.
The dispute began in 2020, when Masimo sued Apple over its blood oxygen sensor patent. Following an ITC import ban in December 2023, Apple disabled the feature on supported US Apple Watch models. However, after appeals were denied, CBP allowed Apple to restore the feature, sparking Masimo’s lawsuit.
Source: https://www.theverge.com/news/763291/apple-masimo-blood-oxygen-patent-customs-lawsuit