Patent dispute: US jury imposes $634 million fine on Apple
A jury in the USA ruled in favor of a medical device manufacturer and recognized patent infringements in the Apple Watch. Apple is to pay 634 million US dollars.
(Image: Halfpoint / Shutterstock.com)
In the protracted patent dispute against Apple, Masimo has achieved a partial victory; a jury in the US state of California has awarded the medical device manufacturer $634 million (approximately 546 million euros) in damages. The news agency Reuters reports and explains that the jurors recognized infringements in the workout mode and heartbeat notifications of the Apple Watch. Apple has consequently criticized the decision immediately and announced an appeal, while Masimo sees it as “an important victory for our ongoing efforts to protect our innovations and intellectual property.”
Years of legal dispute with far-reaching consequences
The legal disputes between the pulse oximeter specialist Masimo and Apple have been ongoing for years. Among other things, Masimo accuses Apple of poaching employees and stealing technology to teach the Apple Watch blood oxygen measurement. Apple vehemently denies the accusations. The company stated to Reuters that despite lawsuits in numerous courts and referencing more than 25 patents, Masimo has lost in the majority of proceedings. The single patent that was at issue in California has already expired in 2022 and relates to technology from a decade ago. Therefore, they will contest the decision.
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In the course of the dispute between the corporations, a function of the Apple Watch, blood oxygen measurement, was blocked in the USA. Only at the beginning of August did the US government allow the function to be released again and thus incurred a lawsuit from Masimo. It is incomprehensible that the US customs authority suddenly reversed its own prior decision to enforce the import ban, it was stated at the time. Implicitly, the medical device manufacturer had established a possible connection to a $600 billion investment promise from Apple that had been made shortly before. Last Friday, the US trade commission ITC announced that it would review the release.
(mho)
