Apple has paused the sales of Apple Watch devices in the United States following a patent dispute with medical device maker Masimo. Earlier this year, the US International Trade Commission (ITC) ruled that Apple had infringed on two patents filed by Masimo and that the commission would impose a ban on the devices starting on 26 December 2023.
While many thought this ban would never come to pass, Apple has now succumbed to the import ban and is halting all sales of the Apple Watch Series 9 and Ultra 2 starting on 21 December. While Apple still has until 26 December to comply with the ITC import ban, the company is preemptively halting sales as it is unable to clear the patent before that time.
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The issue revolves around the SpO2 sensor in the new Apple Watch Series 9 and Ultra 9. The import ban also only covers the United States so users in other countries can still purchase the new Apple Watch for now.
Apple and Masimo have had a rocky past. The company filed a patent dispute over the EKG feature in previous Apple Watch models and that issue prevented the use of the EKG on certain devices for quite some time.
Apple has asked for a Presidential veto to bypass the import ban. This is a special clearance by the United States President himself who vetoes the restriction. However, a Presidential veto is not always guaranteed.
In the past, Apple was successfully granted a veto on the iPhone 4 and its signal gate issue by former President Barack Obama. However, President Joe Biden upheld the previous ITC ban over the EKG dispute with Masimo. So right now, things are up in the air.
Apple says that if the order stands, the company will take all measures to return Apple Watch Series 9 and Ultra 2 sales to customers in the US as soon as possible. The company will look at a Federal Circuit appeal if need be.
Source: 9to5mac
