Are Apple Watches banned? Apple Watch Lawsuit

Personally, I’m an analog watch guy. Nothing beats an old-school timepiece. Having said that, there is no denying the usefulness of a smartwatch and although it’s not my daily wrist companion, I do own one. 

Among the smartwatch brands, Apple is one of the most popular. When it comes to tech, the company has an enormous fan base, and the watches are no exception. Apple has stepped on the toes of smaller competitors in the recent past and has been accused of stealing employees and technology. You may have heard that Apple watch sales have been banned in the U.S. 

Understandably, this is an area of concern for Apple lovers who are in the market for a new watch. Is it true? The simple answer is yes. This doesn’t mean you can’t buy any Apple watch in the U.S. There’s a bit more to it than that. Let’s get into the how, why, and when.

All About the Apple Watch Lawsuit

Perhaps the best features of smartwatches are their fitness and health apps. Tracking steps, calories burned, pulse rate, sleep quality, and other health-related issues is enormously useful. Tech of this type is an excellent tool in the battle to maintain a healthy body. 

The health-monitoring features of smart watches continue to evolve, and it’s almost like wearing a doctor on your wrist. It is in this aspect of smart technology that Apple ran into trouble.

Released in 2020, the Apple Series 6 smartwatch featured technology to monitor blood oxygen levels along with heart rate. The innovation proved popular, and Apple has used it in successive new watch releases.

The release of the Series 9 and Ultra 2 smartwatches in 2023 is where the trouble started.  Masimo, a medical tech company based in Irvine, CA, developed and patented the pulse oxygen sensing tech in 2020.

Masimo, which has had problems with Apple in the past, filed a lawsuit in 2023 claiming patent infringement on the pulse oximetry technology used in the watches.

In October of that year, the U.S. International Trade Commission ruled that Apple had indeed infringed on Masimo’s patents and placed a ban on the sale of the Series 9 and Ultra 2 in the United States.

In December, Apple managed to get the court to place a stay on the ban and put the watches in question back on the market, but it was short-lived. Before the end of the year, the ban was back in place, leaving the tech giant to come up with a new sales plan while fighting the lawsuit.

On January 18, 2024, Apple released new versions of the Series 9 and Ultra 2 in which the blood oxygen sensing technology is disabled. These versions are still available so you can buy Apple watches in the U.S. The sensors will not work, even if you are wearing the watch in another country.

In April 2024, Apple filed an appeal with the U.S. Court of Appeals Federal Circuit, claiming that the ITC’s decision to ban the sale of the watches was based on a series of defective patent rulings. Thus far, the ban remains in place. Apple continues its fight and will likely come to some kind of settlement with Masimo involving licensing of the tech. In the meantime, only the watches with the sensor disabled can be sold.

Can You Buy Apple Watches Today?

The main question fans of Apple want an answer as to whether you currently buy their watches. Yes, Apple watches are still available in the U.S. The altered versions of the Series 9 and Ultra 2 are legal to sell, as are any other models. 

Provided the O2 sensor technology is not activated, any Apple watch can be purchased. In fact, the company’s CEO Tim Cook emphatically stated that there are still good reasons to buy the watches even without the disputed technology.

Because the lawsuit is contested in U.S. courts, Apple watches with the oxygen sensor tech can still be purchased in Canada, the UK, and most other nations. 

Other Notable Apple Watch Lawsuits

The Masimo lawsuit is not the first time a company or individual has filed a complaint against the tech giant. Apple has a history of conflict with other tech companies in and out of court.

AliveCor, a medical tech company that sells heart-monitoring devices, filed a suit against Apple in 2021, claiming that the company was abusing its power as a monopoly against competitors in the heart-monitoring market. 

AliveCor filed several patent-infringement lawsuits claiming that its cofounder demonstrated Kardiaband, a heart monitoring device, to executives at Apple at a meeting in 2015. The suits allege that Apple developed its own tech a year after the meeting and announced its release just hours after AliveCor announced the release of the Kardia Band. 

The suit alleges a patent violation and further claims that Apple went on to dominate the market and block third parties from selling competing products. 

In 2019, a New York cardiologist, Joseph Wiesel, filed a lawsuit against Apple in Federal Court. Weisel claimed the company infringed on his patent on a tool that monitors heart irregularities. A court date has not been set, but Apple was granted a temporary stay.

Even Masimo has squabbled with Apple in the past. In 2013, Apple hired an engineer and 20 other employees who had previously worked for Masimo. The smaller company claimed that Apple did so to steal tech the ex-employees had developed.

Conclusion

Apple is a mammoth tech company and as such, has had its share of run-ins with smaller companies claiming patent infringements and other issues. Apple generally works its way to a solution and keeps rolling along.

For American fans of Apple watches, at least for the foreseeable future, you won’t be able to purchase a watch with the O2 sensor technology. It’s likely that Apple and Masimo will eventually reach a settlement. In the meantime, you can still buy Apple watches with plenty of health and other useful features.