Masimo Sues US Customs Over Apple Watch Blood Oxygen Feature Rollout
The ongoing legal battle between medical tech firm Masimo and Apple has taken a new turn. Masimo has filed a lawsuit against US Customs and Border Protection just days after Apple released a redesigned blood oxygen monitoring feature for its smartwatches.
This lawsuit is the latest development in a lengthy patent dispute that began in 2021. Masimo originally sued Apple, accusing the tech giant of infringing on its patents related to light-based blood oxygen monitoring technology. In 2023, a court ruled in Masimo’s favor, which resulted in a temporary ban on US sales of the Apple Watch Series 9 and Ultra 2 for several weeks.
To resume sales and circumvent the import ban, Apple removed the Blood Oxygen app from new watches sold in the US. However, Apple recently introduced a redesigned blood oxygen feature for the Watch Series 9, Series 10, and Watch Ultra 2. This new implementation works by processing sensor data on the user’s paired iPhone instead of directly on the watch. Users can then view their blood oxygen information within the Respiratory section of the iPhone’s Health app.
Apple stated that this software update was made possible by a recent ruling from US Customs. Masimo, however, claims in its new complaint that it was unaware of this August 1st ruling until Apple publicly announced the new feature. The medical device company argues that Customs exceeded its authority by issuing a decision without hearing from both sides of the dispute, which it says is standard procedure.
Masimo is now asking the court to block the Customs ruling and to only allow imports of the Apple Watch models if their blood oxygen tracking functionality remains disabled. The company stated that each day the ruling remains in effect causes irreparable harm to its business and competitive standing in the US market. This legal action ensures the complex patent saga between the two companies will continue.