When I first heard in early February that the Apple Watch might be banned, thanks to The Hill, I thought, “There’s no way one of the most popular smartwatches on the planet is going to be banned.”
even edge Skeptical: “Given the popularity of the Apple Watch and the size of Apple’s financial resources, it would be surprising if an import ban actually became a reality.” He added that the medical technology companies suing Apple It is more likely that Masimo will abandon the ban. agreement.
But here we are. By the end of 2023, Apple is now banned from selling its latest wearables: the Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2.
But the question is, how did we get here?
Apple Watch Series 9 vs. Apple Watch Ultra 2: What’s the difference?
5 major events that led to the Apple Watch ban
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January 2020.Masimo reportedly first sued Apple Bloomberg. The medical technology company accused Apple of promising a partnership (the two companies reportedly met in 2013 to discuss a working relationship), only to betray Masimo by stealing trade secrets and hiring key employees.
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September 2020. Apple launches Watch Series 6 with new blood oxygen monitoring feature, and Massimo claims Apple stole the technology from the medical tech company.
That same month, Massimo accused Apple of trying to drag out and delay the legal battle. By way of background, at this point, Apple had filed a request to dismiss the trade secret claims and filed a petition with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office to invalidate Masimo’s patents.
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June 2021. Masimo filed a complaint with the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) in the hope of removing the Apple Watch from the market. In short, the complaint alleges that Apple infringed multiple patents by releasing a watch that can measure arterial blood oxygen saturation.
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October 2023. The U.S. International Trade Commission ruled in favor of Masimo, stating that Apple had indeed infringed Masimo’s patent protecting its blood oxygen monitoring invention. The ITC issued an import ban on devices using this technology, namely Watch Series 9 and Watch Ultra 2, which came into effect on December 26.
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December 2023. Office of the U.S. Trade Representative under the Biden Administration Can had stepped in to veto the ban, but on December 26, it decided be opposed to Overturning the International Trade Commission’s ruling, according to reports from The Hill.
So what now?
according to BloombergApple will then challenge the ban to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. An Apple spokesperson said: “We strongly disagree with the USITC’s decision and the resulting exclusion order and are taking every step to return Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2 to U.S. customers as soon as possible.”
On Tuesday, Apple also requested an emergency lifting of the ban for at least two weeks while the court considers Apple’s appeal.
