Apple wins appeal to pause U.S. ITC’s Apple Watch import ban

The Blood Oxygen sensor on the back crystal of Apple Watch

Apple scored a victory on Wednesday when a U.S. appeals court paused the U.S. ITC’s import ban on some of the company’s popular Apple Watch models following a patent dispute with medical-technology company Masimo.

Reuters:
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The tech giant had filed an emergency request for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit to halt the order after appealing the U.S. International Trade Commission’s decision that it had infringed Masimo’s patents.

In a four-paragraph ruling, the appeals court said it would halt the ban while it considers Apple’s motion for a longer-term pause during the appeals process. The court gave the ITC until Jan. 10 to respond to Apple’s request.

Masimo has accused Apple of hiring away its employees, stealing its pulse oximetry technology and incorporating it into Apple Watches.

The ITC barred imports and sales of Apple Watches with technology for reading blood-oxygen levels. Apple has included a pulse oximeter feature in its smartwatches starting with its Series 6 model in 2020.

Apple has paused sales of its Series 9 and Ultra 2 smartwatches in the U.S., though the watches have remained available at other retailers including Amazon, Best Buy, Costco, and Walmart.

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MacDailyNews Note: Currently, Apple (AAPL) shares are down $0.83 (-0.43%) to $192.22. Masimo (MASI) shares are down $4.07 (-3.37%) to $116.55.
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