US Jury Orders Apple to Pay Masimo $634 Million in Smartwatch Patent Dispute

Post by : Saif

A U.S. federal jury in California has ruled that Apple must pay $634 million to Masimo, a medical technology company, in a major patent dispute over smartwatch features. The jury decided that some functions in the Apple Watch, including the workout mode and heart rate notification system, used technology that Masimo had already patented. Masimo said this was a clear violation of its rights, and the jury agreed with the company’s argument.

Apple, however, said it strongly disagrees with the decision and plans to appeal. The company believes the ruling is not correct and wants a higher court to review the case. Masimo, on the other hand, welcomed the jury’s decision and called it an important victory for protecting the company’s inventions and intellectual property.

This verdict is part of a long and tense legal fight between Apple and Masimo that started years ago. Masimo has claimed that Apple hired several of its employees and then used Masimo’s pulse oximetry technology—technology that helps measure blood oxygen levels—in Apple Watches without permission. Apple has denied this claim many times, and the issue has gone through multiple court hearings.

The dispute became very serious in 2023 when a U.S. trade commission blocked imports of Apple’s Series 9 and Ultra 2 smartwatches. The commission said the blood-oxygen reading feature in those models violated Masimo’s patents. To avoid a complete ban, Apple removed the blood-oxygen feature from some watches. Later, in August, Apple released a revised version of the technology after U.S. Customs and Border Protection approved the update.

But the fight is still not over. The U.S. International Trade Commission has now decided to review whether Apple’s updated watches should also face a ban. At the same time, Masimo has filed a lawsuit against U.S. Customs for allowing the new feature into the market. Apple has also taken its complaint about the import ban to a federal appeals court, hoping to overturn the decision.

This legal battle has moved across different courts and has been very complex. In 2023, a California judge declared a mistrial in Masimo’s trade-secret case against Apple because the jury could not reach a unanimous decision. In a separate trial last year, Apple won only $250 in damages from Masimo after accusing Masimo’s smartwatches of violating two Apple design patents. The small award showed that the court did not find Masimo’s actions to be serious in that specific case.

The latest $634 million verdict is one of the biggest developments yet in the fight between the two companies. It shows how valuable health-related technology has become in the smartwatch market. Features like blood-oxygen tracking and heart rate monitoring are now key selling points for many users, and companies are working hard to gain an edge in this competitive space.

Apple has built its smartwatch business into one of the biggest in the world, and Masimo is a respected name in medical monitoring devices. Because both companies want to protect their technology and market position, the conflict has become long and intense. It has also raised important questions about patents, competition, and how companies use each other’s ideas.

As Apple prepares to appeal and Masimo continues to push its claims, the case is expected to continue for months or even years. The latest ruling is a major moment, but it is not the final one. Investors, tech experts, and customers are all watching closely to see what happens next, as the outcome may affect future smartwatch features and the way tech companies develop new health tools.

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