Apple Watch Blood Oxygen feature won't return anytime soon as company fails creative court bid to have ban lifted

Apple It has been awarded a nominal $250 in damages after a US court ruled that wearable technology rival Masimo had infringed two of its smartwatch design patents. But Apple has failed in its larger bid to find a way to lift the ban on the blood oxygen feature in the US.

As reported by ReutersApple sued Masimo over its W1 and Freedom smartwatches, which it claimed deliberately infringed its patented smartwatch designs. This is part of a much larger intellectual property dispute between the companies that ultimately led to the blood oxygen feature being banned; This feature can no longer be shipped. best Apple Watches As a result, in the USA.

Including new models sold in the USA Apple Watch Series 10 And Apple Watch Ultra2It comes without a blood oxygen feature, as a result of an International Trade Commission decision that found Apple’s own blood oxygen technology infringed Masimo’s patents.

While Apple’s latest decision is a check mark in the win column, the case actually had nothing to do with the niche smartwatches Masimo sells and everything to do with Apple trying to overturn that ban. In this regard, the lawsuit was not successful for Apple, which is bad news for customers who continue to miss out on this important health feature.

Blood oxygen on Apple Watch – still in Limbo

Apple Watch Series 10 side by side.

Series 10 in the US continues to ship without blood oxygen monitoring. (Image credit: Future)

As stated by Florian Mueller from ip frayApple’s latest lawsuit against Masimo, the world’s leading patent litigation expert, “was never about Masimo competing with Apple in the smartwatch market.” The company sells a negligible number of smartwatches and only sells them domestically to comply with ITC regulations.

As Mueller explained, “What Apple really wanted was to either get an injunction that would have an argument for lifting Masimo’s import ban, or at least have a legal fight over whether Apple should get an injunction.”

Apple was hoping the latest design case would give it ammunition to help it take it back to court and get an injunction. Apple Watch blood oxygen ban.

Without this decision, Apple’s options for lifting the ban will be limited. But there is still some hope. As reported earlier this month, Masimo has a new CEO, which could open the door to a deal between the two companies.

According to Bloomberg’s Mark GurmanPrevious CEO Joe Kiani was a vocal critic of Apple, suggesting the new CEO might be friendlier. With no regulatory reprieve in sight for Apple, a licensing deal between the two companies may be the only way to return blood oxygen to the Apple Watch in the US.