Apple Watch Series 9 sales to be halted over patent dispute

Apple has decided to stop selling its Series 9 smart watch due to a disagreement over patents. The International Trade Commission (ITC) made a ruling in October, following a dispute with a medical technology company called Masimo, based in California. The disagreement is related to the blood sensor monitor on Apple’s latest smartwatch.

This decision will take effect on Thursday (December 21) at 3 P.M. for online sales, and retail locations will stop selling the smartwatch on December 24, just before the holiday. December 24 is also the last day for picking up and delivering online orders.

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Apple disagrees with the ITC’s ruling and plans to appeal, believing it to be a mistake. In October of last year, Apple also filed two lawsuits against Masimo, accusing them of infringing on Apple’s patents. Apple claimed that Masimo was trying to prevent millions of U.S. consumers from accessing a potentially life-saving product while promoting their own watch that imitates Apple’s.

As per a statement by Apple to news agencies:
A Presidential Review Period is in progress regarding an order from the U.S. International Trade Commission on a technical intellectual property dispute pertaining to Apple Watch devices containing the Blood Oxygen feature. While the review period will not end until December 25, Apple is preemptively taking steps to comply should the ruling stand. This includes pausing sales of Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2 from Apple.com starting December 21, and from Apple retail locations after December 24.

Apple’s teams work tirelessly to create products and services that empower users with industry-leading health, wellness, and safety features. Apple strongly disagrees with the order and is pursuing a range of legal and technical options to ensure that Apple Watch is available to customers.

Should the order stand, Apple will continue to take all measures to return Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2 to customers in the U.S. as soon as possible.

Masimo initially complained about technology introduced with Apple’s Series 6 smartwatch back in June 2021. They stated that Apple had started hiring Masimo employees, including their Chief Medical Officer. Masimo also mentioned that Apple introduced the Series 6 in the fall of 2020, manufactured in Asia.

The main issue revolves around pulse oximetry, a technology that uses an optical sensor to detect blood flow. Last month, Masimo received FDA clearance to use its own wrist-worn product for both prescription and over-the-counter use.