Will Apple Watches disappear from stores? The company violated patent law

This could be an unlucky end to the year for Apple. As a result of the dispute with the medical device manufacturer Masimo, which has been ongoing since 2020, the iPhone manufacturer may be forced to withdraw the latest models of its smart watches from American stores this month.

Apple Watch 9 and Ultra 2 – problematic pulse oximeter

The dispute between Apple and a Californian medical company concerns the pulse oximeter, a function for measuring the concentration of oxygen in the blood, which the iPhone manufacturer used in its latest Series 9 and Ultra 2 watches.

Apple allegedly undertook unfair actions aimed at poaching Masimo’s staff, as well as carried out a number of other activities aimed at taking over the technology developed by it for non-invasive detection of oxygen in blood.

The patent commission suspends the sale of Apple Watch

The actions of the Cupertino giant did not please the US International Trade Commission (ITC), which ordered the suspension of sales of Apple Watches in the United States until this matter is clarified.

As a result of this decision, the latest Apple watches will disappear from American store shelves on December 21, 2023. Apple in an official statement said that it strongly disagrees with the decision of the International Trade Commission and will try to resume Apple Watch sales in the US as soon as possible.

Only one person can now change the ITC’s decision: US President Joe Biden. In the past, however, it was rare for an American head of state to interfere in similar decisions of the patent commission.