Apple Wins Court Bid To Pause Watch Import Ban

It seems Apple is nearing the end of the tunnel where there is light. On Wednesday, it made a headway in its brewing patent dispute with Masimo, a medical technology company.

Here’s a little backstory as previously reported: a ban was imposed on the giant tech company on Christmas Day for infringing on the patent rights of Masimo. The release of Apple’s newest watches, Series 9 and Ultra 2, was what sparked this controversy. The bone of contention is a health-tracking component in Series 9 and Ultra 2 watches that mirrors Masimo’s pulse-oximeter technology.

The technology enables the new watches to track a user’s blood-oxygen levels by emitting light through the wearer’s skin. International Trade Commission (ITC), an independent US trade regulator ruled that Apple should discontinue import of the affected models until the matter is sorted out. Adhering to ITC’s injunctions, the company ceased online sales of the affected models on 21st December and offline sales 3 days after.

Apple worked round the clock to modify the software of the affected models. The other party, in response, argued that hardware modifications were implied by the rulings as well. In a follow-up move, the company appealed to US President Joe Biden to use overturn the ban but the administration refused to indulge its veto power.

The unyielding moves made Apple to file an emergency request to the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit to pause the ban, pending a resolution.

On Wednesday, Apple achieved a significant victory when the court decided to temporarily suspend the import ban on the new watches. The court has given ITC until 12th January, 2024 to respond to its decision, giving Apple two weeks to tighten it’s loose ends. We will keep you updated as the case unfolds.

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