If you thought you missed your chance to buy the latest Apple Watch, you're in luck. A court has ruled sales can resume, at least temporarily.
Apple was forced to pull its latest version of the Apple Watch, the Series 9 and the Ultra 2, from shelves after the International Trade Commission (ITC) claimed that the tech company violated a technology patent from Masimo, a medical device company.
The dispute in question was over technology in the Apple Watch that’s used to measure users’ blood-oxygen levels. According to the ITC, Apple was violating a Masimo patent on pulse oximeters.
This ban dates back to October 2023, when the ITC initially ruled that Apple was in violation of Masimo’s patent. At that point, the decision went to the Biden Administration, who decided to uphold the ITC’s ban.
The ITC banned Apple from importing the latest versions of the Watch that contained this specific technology. While retailers could sell whatever they had on the shelves, new watches weren’t able to be shipped into the country.
Watches are now available in the U.S.
Now, the U.S. Court of Appeals has temporarily put a pause on the ban, allowing Apple to start reselling the Series 9 and Ultra 2 watches both in stores and online.
While Apple might think this is a step in the right direction, the legal battle isn’t over. This most recent decision has put a pause on the import ban, but Apple is hopeful that the courts will rule in its favor for the long-term.
Apple has submitted a redesign of the Series 9 and Ultra 2, and the ITC has until January 12 to make a long-term decision on the future of the Watch.
“Apple’s teams have worked tirelessly over many years to develop technology that empowers users with industry-leading health, wellness, and safety features and we are pleased the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit has stayed the exclusion order while it considers our request to stay the order pending our full approval,” the company said in a statement.
Photo Credit: Consumer Affairs News Department Images
Posted: 2023-12-28 12:14:54
