Apple to Shut Down the Watches After Two Years of a Trade Commission: The Masimo View of an Intellectual Property Violation Case

The fate of the newest Apple Watch models has hung in the balance ever since. Immediately after the ruling, Apple started taking preemptive steps to comply with a coming ban. Just before Christmas, the company pulled the watches from its physical and online stores, though the Watches were still available at online retailers like Amazon and at non-Apple brick-and-mortars over the holiday. The pause in sales lasted a few days and resumed just after Christmas, before halting again this week.

At the end of 2023, Apple was barred from selling the two wearables by the US International Trade Commission because of a dispute over a patent for the technology Apple uses in the watches’ blood-oxygen sensor. Apple had appealed that ruling and was granted a temporary stay on the ban while the court reviewed the case.

Wednesday’s court ruling does not affect the Watch SE, which has no blood-tracking sensors. The SE is Apple’s most affordable version and it’s the main pick in our Best Apple Watches guide.

In a statement, Masimo founder and CEO Joe Kiani wrote that the court’s decision to reinstate the feature ban “affirms that even the largest and most powerful companies must respect the intellectual rights of American inventors and must deal with the consequences when they are caught infringing others’ patents.”

Apple’s Blood Oxygen app is no longer available on users taping on their phone – a counterexample to the Trade Commission

Apple has continued to appeal the case and said they believe the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit should reverse the trade commission’s decision.

When users tap on Apple’s Blood Oxygen app on their phone, they will see a message saying that the feature is no longer available.