Overview
- An ITC administrative law judge issued an initial determination that Apple’s redesigned blood‑oxygen feature does not infringe Masimo patents, meaning no new import ban for current Apple Watches as the full commission considers final action.
- Separately, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit affirmed the ITC’s 2023 exclusion order against Apple’s earlier blood‑oxygen implementation and ordered Apple to pay costs.
- Apple said it was pleased with the ITC finding on the redesign and will evaluate avenues for further review of the appellate ruling, while Masimo declined to comment.
- Apple’s redesign routes blood‑oxygen results to a paired iPhone rather than displaying them on the watch, a change U.S. Customs and Border Protection previously cleared, enabling imports to resume after the 2023 Series 9 and Ultra 2 ban.
- The broader fight continues, with Masimo holding a $634 million jury verdict that Apple plans to appeal and a separate $9.9 billion acquisition agreement by Danaher shaping the stakes.