Advertisements for Apple smartwatches are prominently displayed as patrons explore the Apple store in New York City on December 26, 2023.
A federal jury in California rendered a verdict on Friday, determining that Apple is liable to pay $634 million to Masimo, a company specializing in medical-monitoring technology, for infringing upon a patent pertaining to blood-oxygen measurement technology.
The jury substantiated Masimo’s claims that the Apple Watch’s workout mode and heart rate notification functionalities contravened its patent rights, as confirmed by a spokesperson for Masimo.
In response, an Apple representative expressed disagreement with the ruling and indicated plans for an appeal.
“Over the past six years, [Masimo has] initiated legal action against Apple in various courts, asserting over 25 patents, the majority of which have been deemed invalid,” stated the spokesperson.
“The patent at issue in this case expired in 2022 and pertains to outdated patient monitoring technologies from decades past.”
In its announcement, Masimo heralded the verdict as “a significant win in our ongoing endeavors to safeguard our innovations and intellectual property.”
This California lawsuit represents just one front in a broader, fractious patent dispute between Apple and Masimo, based in Irvine, California. Masimo has accused Apple of poaching its employees and misappropriating its pulse oximetry technology for use in Apple Watches.
The new Apple Watch Series 9 is showcased during the Wonderlust event at the company’s headquarters in Cupertino, California, on September 12, 2023.
This contentious dispute resulted in a U.S. trade tribunal’s decision to block imports of Apple’s Series 9 and Ultra 2 smartwatches in 2023 after establishing that Apple’s technology infringed upon Masimo’s patents.
To circumvent the ban, Apple temporarily removed the blood-oxygen monitoring feature from its watches, subsequently reintroducing an enhanced version of this technology in August, following approval from U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
On the same day, the ITC initiated a new proceeding to assess whether the updated watches from Apple should be subjected to the ban.
Masimo has initiated an ongoing lawsuit against Customs pertaining to this ruling, while Apple has separately contested the import ban in the federal appellate court.
Previously, a California judge declared a mistrial in Masimo’s trade secret case against Apple in 2023, as the jury failed to reach a consensus. Additionally, Apple secured a nominal $250 verdict against Masimo in Delaware last year for allegations of design patent infringement by Masimo’s smartwatches.
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