It is not a new situation for apple, but it is repeated again. A complaint for infringing Masimo patents forces it to stop selling in the United States your Apple watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2 smartwatches.
Apple will stop selling its newest smartwatches, both online and in its physical stores, the December 21. They can be purchased at other stores, but only while they have stock.
For now, this measure only affects sales in the United States, which is where the complaint occurred. And only to the two models mentioned, the Apple Watch Series 9 and the Ultra 2, which are the newest and most powerful.
The patent war on smartwatches
The company Masimo is dedicated to selling medical devices focused on sports and healthincluding smart watches like the Masimo W1 Medical, or its Sport version.
According to Techspot, In 2021, Massimo sued Apple for infringing the patent on its light-based pulse-ox sensor.which it has used in its latest Apple Watch models.
Last October the US International Trade Commission (ITC) ruled in favor of Masimo, forcing Apple to reach an agreement to pay for the patent, or withdraw its smartphones from sale.
The law offers Apple an opportunity: Two months for US President Joe Biden to lift the ban. The deadline ends on December 25.
Apple already achieved just that in 2013, when President Obama overturned an ITC decision in favor of samsung, on a patent against Apple. But Biden is not in favor of this type of veto, and surely he has already informed Apple that he will not apply it, that is why Tim Cook’s company stops selling watches on December 21.
With the ruling in his favor, I’m sure Masimo is asking Apple for an exorbitant amount for the patent., which Apple will be able to pay without problems, being the richest company in the world. For now, to lower the figure, Apple has counterattacked by denouncing Masimo for infringing Apple patents on its medical watches.
It is the typical tug of war for negotiate a price for patents. Experts believe that the matter will be resolved soon.
Apple will withdraw its Apple Watch Series 9 and Ultra 2 watches from sale on December 21, for allegedly infringing patents. It will lose money in the Christmas campaign, but it is not a critical business for the company.
