Tag: Masimo

A significant preliminary verdict has been reached in the patent infringement lawsuit between Apple and medical technology company Masimo. According to Reuters, a federal jury in California ruled in favor of Masimo, finding Apple guilty of infringing on Masimo's patented technology for tracking blood oxygen levels and ordering it to pay $6.34 million in damages. The jury determined that Apple infringed on Masimo's patents related to its workout and heart rate monitoring features. The core of the case was whether Apple violated Masimo's blood oxygen sensor patents. The jury found evidence of infringement in the "Workout" and "Heart Rate" apps on the Apple Watch, thus finding Apple guilty of infringement. Apple disagrees with the verdict and plans to appeal. An Apple spokesperson emphasized, "The single patent in this case expired in 2022 and only involves historical patient monitoring technology from decades ago." Masimo also sued U.S. Customs. Prior to this, Masimo accused Apple of infringing its "pulse oximeter" technology patent, a case that led to intervention by the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC), forcing Apple to temporarily halt sales of the Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2 in the U.S. starting last year. To circumvent the ban, Apple urgently issued a patent in August of this year for the Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 8...

At its recent "Awe Dropping" fall event, Apple announced a new algorithm-based Hypertension Alerts feature for the Apple Watch Series 11. This feature has already received FDA approval and will be officially launched in 150 countries and regions worldwide on September 19th, coinciding with the release of the Apple Watch Series 11 and Apple Watch Ultra 3 in the US and other markets. Unlike traditional cuff-based blood pressure measurements, the Apple Watch Series 11 uses a built-in optical heart rate sensor to collect data using optical technology. A new machine learning algorithm claims to be able to run continuously in the background for about a month, analyzing the user's heart rate changes and related patterns to predict potential hypertension risks. If the system detects abnormal trends, it will notify the user to seek further medical attention to determine if there are serious consequences. Apple points out that this feature does not directly display real-time blood pressure values, but rather provides an early warning of "potential hypertension," helping users take action before the problem actually worsens. The model behind the algorithm is built on clinical research data from over 100,000 participants, showing that its predictive accuracy has reached the standards approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Expanding its health feature portfolio, Apple has been actively developing the Apple Watch into a key tool for health and preventative medicine in recent years. In addition to familiar features like heart rate monitoring, arrhythmia detection, and fall detection, last year it received FDA approval to use the second-generation AirPods Pro as over-the-counter hearing aids and introduced sleep apnea detection on the watchOS platform. The approval for the high blood pressure alert feature further adds another major chronic disease risk indicator affecting over 1 billion people worldwide. However, the Apple Watch still faces patent and regulatory challenges. It faces patent and regulatory accusations from Masimo regarding the design of its blood oxygen monitoring function. Nevertheless, Apple continues to advance its health feature strategy, demonstrating its long-term focus on health technology. In the future, it may further integrate more physiological monitoring technologies, such as the long-rumored non-invasive blood glucose monitoring function. With FDA approval, Apple will simultaneously launch the high blood pressure alert feature in 150 countries and regions worldwide. For consumers, this will make the Apple Watch...

Although the court previously ruled in favor of Apple, allowing it to circumvent the patent dispute with a "redesigned" version and bring the Apple Watch's blood oxygen detection feature back to the United States, Masimo has clearly not given up. It recently filed a lawsuit with U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), accusing the agency of approving Apple's "redesign" of the blood oxygen function to circumvent the previous import ban without a sufficient hearing, and requesting the court to rule that if the blood oxygen detection feature is not removed, the relevant Apple Watch models should be prohibited from being imported into the United States. The lawsuit between Apple and Masimo originated in 2021, with the latter accusing Apple of unauthorized use of its patented optical blood oxygen measurement technology. In 2023, the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) ruled in favor of Masimo, leading to a temporary suspension of sales of Apple's Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2 in the United States. To circumvent the ban, Apple at that time chose to remove the blood oxygen detection app from the models sold in the United States. In its ongoing litigation with Masimo, Apple successfully persuaded a jury to support its arguments, winning a lawsuit alleging that Masimo infringed on its early W1 and Freedom smartwatch designs. However, Apple only won the minimum damages of $250. Apple's main objective was not a large sum of money, but rather to restrict the sale of all Masimo smartwatches in the United States by counter-suing Masimo for infringing its design patents. However, the jury did not find that Masimo's new smartwatch design infringed on Apple's intellectual property rights, so Masimo still considers the jury's verdict a "victory," indicating that the verdict only affects Masimo's discontinued products. Recently, Apple announced a "redesigned" blood oxygen function for the Apple Watch Series 9, Apple Watch Series 10, and Apple Watch Ultra 2. While explaining that the new design does not directly process blood oxygen data through the Apple Watch, but instead uses a paired iPhone to process the data and display the results in the Health app, Apple stated that this update complies with the recent findings of U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Masimo countered, stating that it only learned of the ruling when Apple announced it, and that the ruling took effect on August 1st, without hearing arguments from both sides as is customary. Therefore, Masimo believes that U.S. Customs' actions "exceeded its authority" and has filed a lawsuit seeking to overturn the ruling and prohibit Apple from importing or selling the new Apple Watch without removing the blood oxygen monitoring feature. In its statement, Masimo stated, "Every day this illegal ruling continues, it deprives us of our right to be free from unfair trade practices and causes irreparable damage to our competitive position in the U.S. market." For Apple, the blood oxygen monitoring feature is an essential part of the Apple Watch...

Harman International, a wholly owned subsidiary of Samsung, recently announced its acquisition of Sound United, Masimo's consumer audio brand, for $3.5 million. The transaction is expected to be completed by the end of this year, allowing Masimo to focus more on its professional medical field. Sound United currently owns high-end audio brands such as Bowers & Wilkins, Marantz, and Denon. This acquisition will consolidate these brands under Harman International, meaning that a large number of high-end audio brands will now be under Samsung's umbrella. Harman International currently owns brands including JBL, Harman Kardon, AKG, Mark Levinson, Arcam, and Revel. The addition of Bowers & Wilkins, Marantz, and Denon will give it a greater competitive advantage in the high-end audio market. Therefore, this transaction is more beneficial for Samsung's future expansion into the automotive and residential markets, and may even further expand its presence in the high-end audio market.

Apple recently won a lawsuit against Masimo, an Irvine, California-based medical technology company, with a jury finding its case in favor of Apple. The lawsuit, which began in 2021, saw Masimo allege that Apple's use of optical oxygenation in the Apple Watch infringed on its patented technology. Following an injunction by the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) in October 2023, Apple suspended sales of the Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2 on its website starting December 21 of that year, and through retail channels including Apple Stores starting December 24. To allow the Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2 to resume sales in the U.S., Apple ultimately removed the oxygenation software feature that was alleged to have infringed on Masimo's patented technology, allowing the affected products to resume sales in the U.S. market. In its ongoing litigation with Masimo, Apple successfully persuaded a jury to support its arguments, winning a lawsuit alleging that Masimo infringed on its early W1 and Freedom smartwatch designs. However, Apple only won the minimum damages of $250. Apple's main objective was not a large sum of money, but rather to restrict the sale of all Masimo smartwatches in the United States by counter-suing Masimo for infringing its design patents. However, the jury did not find that Masimo's new smartwatch design infringed on Apple's intellectual property rights. Therefore, Masimo still considers the jury's verdict a "victory," indicating that the verdict only affects Masimo's discontinued products. From Apple's perspective, this represents a turning point in its litigation with Masimo, and it may seek to develop arguments in its favor through further lawsuits.

In response to the recent patent infringement allegations filed by Masimo, which led to a potential sales ban on the Apple Watch Ultra 2 and Apple Watch Series 9 in the United States, Apple has confirmed that it will remove the blood oxygen measurement software function to circumvent the infringing content and allow the products to continue to be sold in the US market. However, the updated Apple Watch Ultra 2 and Apple Watch Series 9 still require approval from higher authorities before they can be sold in the US. Therefore, even if US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) approves Apple's approach to circumvent the infringement issue, if the US International Trade Commission (ITC) does not approve, Apple may still be unable to sell the Apple Watch Ultra 2 and Apple Watch Series 9 normally in the US market. Markets outside the US remain unaffected and can continue to sell normally. In its initial statement, Masimo CEO Joe Kiani stated that Masimo's patents involve both software and hardware design, so even with a software update, Apple cannot completely circumvent the infringement issue. However, the specific ruling still depends on the judgment of higher authorities. As for those who have already purchased the Apple Watch Ultra 2 and Apple Watch Series 9...

Bloomberg News reporter Mark Gurman reports that Apple's Vision Pro, the virtual reality headset unveiled last year, has begun shipping to distribution warehouses across the United States and is expected to reach Apple Stores nationwide by February. Furthermore, regarding the previous patent dispute with Masimo, Apple plans to seek a permanent revocation of the sales ban on the Apple Watch at a court hearing in the US on January 15th. Mark Gurman indicates that Apple may announce the launch of the Vision Pro as early as soon as possible, and, as previously revealed, launch it this spring (possibly as early as February). Apple has already made significant preparations for the Vision Pro and will conduct a week-long training program for Apple Store employees in January to help them better introduce the Vision Pro to consumers and assist them in experiencing the wearable device. In addition to the US market launch, Apple is expected to announce the launch of the Vision Pro in more markets in the second half of 2024, including China, the UK, and Canada. Regarding the recent patent infringement allegations filed by Masimo, which led to a sales ban on the Apple Watch Ultra 2 and Apple Watch Series 9 in the United States, Apple subsequently obtained court approval to request a stay of execution of the US International Trade Commission's ban, allowing the banned products to be temporarily sold until January 10th. However, Apple plans to circumvent Masimo's infringement allegations through a software update, thereby completely removing the sales ban by January 12th. However, Masimo CEO Joe Kiani recently stated that Masimo's patents involve both hardware and software design projects, therefore even with a software update, Apple cannot completely avoid the infringement issue.

Update: Apple has appealed this decision. Following allegations of patent infringement from medical technology company Masimo, and with the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) upholding its injunction and failing to have the injunction withdrawn through presidential review, Apple has officially suspended sales of the Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2 in the United States. Prior to this, Apple had taken preventative measures, suspending sales of the Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2 on its official website starting December 21st, and suspending sales through retail channels, including Apple Stores, starting December 24th. Since the ITC decided not to withdraw the injunction, Apple was forced to comply and suspend sales of both Apple Watch products in the United States. Currently, the injunction only affects Apple's retail channels within the United States. The Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2 can still be purchased through third-party channels such as Amazon, Best Buy, and Target. However, once inventory is sold out, sales will only continue for a limited time due to Apple's inability to supply the products within the United States. This injunction does not affect the Apple Watch SE, which does not have a blood oxygen measurement function. Besides appealing and circumventing Masimo's technology patents through software updates, Apple might also reach a settlement with Masimo by licensing its technology for a fee. However, it's currently unclear how Apple will resolve this issue, and Masimo CEO Joe...

In response to a potential sales ban on the Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2 in the United States due to a technology patent lawsuit, Apple may use a software update to prevent the affected products from being unsellable. Bloomberg News reports that Apple is currently preparing a new software update that may update the blood oxygen measurement function's calculation method to avoid overlap with a technology patent filed by Masimo, a medical technology company headquartered in Irvine, California. This could potentially resolve the sales ban issue for the Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2. Apple first introduced the blood oxygen measurement function to the Apple Watch in 2020, and Masimo filed a lawsuit against Apple in 2021, alleging that Apple's use of a light-sensing-based blood oxygen measurement method infringed on two of its technology patents. The U.S. International Trade Commission subsequently determined that Apple did indeed infringe on Masimo's technology patents. The ruling has been submitted to the White House for a 60-day presidential review, with the results expected to be released after December 25th. Apple announced earlier that it would suspend sales of the Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2 on its website starting December 21st, and physical sales, including through Apple Stores, would be suspended starting December 24th. However, consumers can still purchase these products through other authorized sales channels or sales locations outside the United States. Besides circumventing Masimo's technology patents through software updates, Apple may also reach a settlement with Masimo by obtaining a paid technology license. However, Masimo CEO Joe Kiani later stated that Apple has not yet contacted them regarding a settlement, and also believes that Apple cannot circumvent the infringement issue solely through software updates, as its technology patents cover both software and hardware. Apple, on the other hand, believes the U.S. International Trade Commission's ruling is incorrect and emphasizes that it will appeal.

Based on a 2021 complaint filed by Masimo, an Irvine, California-based medical technology company, alleging that Apple's oximetry feature in the Apple Watch infringed on its patents, and following an injunction by the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) in October of this year, Apple will suspend sales of the Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2 on its official website starting December 21, while retail channels, including Apple Stores, will suspend sales from December 24. Apple stated that although the lawsuit has been transferred to the White House for a 60-day presidential review following the court ruling, the final outcome will not be announced until after December 25. Therefore, sales of affected products will be suspended within the United States initially, but sales outside the U.S. will continue. Apple plans to appeal, but may also choose to reach a settlement with Masimo, or remove the affected features through a software update (such as disabling oximetry in the U.S.). Specific details will be announced after December 25, and Apple emphasized that it will resume normal sales of affected products as soon as possible. On the other hand, Apple also filed a design patent infringement complaint against Masimo last October, alleging that Masimo's smartwatch copied the Apple Watch.