Why did Apple ban Watch 9 and Ultra 2 smartwatches in the US?

Apple on Monday announced shocking news for US consumers including the ban on the sales of the Watch Series 9 and Ultra 2 smartwatches.

The latest sales ban comes after the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) gave an order to ban Apple from importing its Apple Watches for infringing a medical technology patent from Masimo, a medical technology company.

Interestingly, the order is still pending on the desk of President Joe Biden, who can veto it until December 25. On the other hand, Apple has started to prepare for the outcome if the order stands.

If the Biden Administration doesn’t stop the order, it will move with immediate effect starting December 26.

For now, Apple confirmed that it would halt online sales of the watches from December 21 and the offline sales via retail stores could stop after December 24.

These two smartwatches serve the new Blood oxygen feature, which allows users to get insights into the important indicator based on the SpO2 readings. Based on that, the previous models from the series as well as the low-end Apple Watch SE model will not fall under this ban order.

Settlement?

Masimo CEO Joe Kiani told CNBC in October that he was ready for a negotiation with Apple. However, Masimo said that ITC’s decision should be respected by all parties involved to increase trust in its authority.

Apple on this matter said that the ITC’s decision “was erroneous” and should be reversed. The iPhone maker is also considering its option to appeal the decision to the Federal Circuit.

Disputed Technology:

Masimo claims that Apple is taking away its employees and embedding its patented Pulse Oximetry technology in new smartwatches.

Apple’s Prep:

A report from Bloomberg reveals that Apple is making changes to the software of these smartwatches and adjusting the related technology/feature in dispute.

The tech company is exploring a range of legal and technical substitutes if the ban comes into effect.

Conclusion:

Aside from these, the decision from the Biden administration would make a big difference on this matter. In 2013, the White House overturned an import ban on Apple’s iPhones and iPads from a patent dispute against Samsung.

Therefore, we’ll have to wait until more of the input arrives on this matter.