A federal court in California ruled Friday that Apple must pay medical device maker Masimo $634 million for infringing a patent on blood oxygen monitoring technology.
Reuters reports the jury found that the workout mode and heart rate notification features of the Apple Watch infringed Masimo’s patent.
“This is an important victory in our ongoing efforts to protect our innovations and intellectual property, which is critical to our ability to develop technology that benefits patients,” said Masimo. in a statement. “We remain committed to defending our intellectual property rights going forward.”
An Apple spokesman told Reuters the company plans to appeal the verdict, adding: “The single patent in this case expired in 2022 and covers historic patient monitoring technology from decades ago.”
TechCrunch has reached out to Apple for additional comment.
The litigation between Masimo and Apple centers on pulse oximetry, which uses an optical sensor to detect blood flow. Masimo accused Apple of hiring her employees — including her doctor — and infringing her patents on pulse oximetry technology.
The US International Trade Commission sided with Masimo in 2023, barring Apple from introducing Apple Watches with blood oxygen monitoring features — which is why Apple Watches haven’t supported blood oxygen monitoring in recent years.
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Apple then announced in August this year that it was introducing a new version of the feature designed to circumvent the ban, with blood oxygen readings and calculations on the user’s paired iPhone, rather than the Apple Watch itself.
Masimo is suing US Customs and Border Patrol for Apple Watch import approval with the new blood oxygen app, while Apple has asked the appeals court to overturn the import ban.
Apple also fought back against Masimo, winning the mandatory minimum payment of $250 when a jury found that Masimo had infringed Apple’s design patents.
