Medical tech company Masimo has filed a lawsuit against the US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) in a bid to overturn the agency’s recent ruling that enables Apple to reinstate the blood oxygen tracking feature on its Apple Watches. This legal action emerges from ongoing disputes surrounding a patent related to Masimo’s blood oxygen sensor, an issue that has been contentious since 2020. Following an import ban imposed by the International Trade Commission (ITC) in December 2023, Apple had disabled this feature on affected US models.
In a complaint submitted last Wednesday, Masimo contended that the CBP did not inform them about the decision to reverse the ITC’s restrictions, effectively denying Masimo a chance to review or contest the ruling. Remarkably, Masimo only became aware of this reversal after Apple unveiled its “redesigned” pulse oximetry feature, which now calculates blood oxygen levels through iPhones rather than the Watches themselves.
Though the filing refrains from overtly accusing Apple, Masimo highlighted in its documents the substantial investments Apple has made in the United States, particularly following the denial of appeals against the ITC ban. They also pointed out that the CBP’s decision to allow Apple to reactivate this feature contradicts established CBP practices regarding requests for ruling on law enforcement operations.
Masimo emphasized in a supporting statement that the continuation of what they perceive as an unlawful ruling threatens their competitive position in the US market, claiming that, “Each passing day that this unlawful ruling remains in effect irreparably deprives Masimo of its right to be free from unfair trade practices.”
To address this situation, Masimo is requesting a temporary restraining order and a preliminary injunction aimed at preventing the enforcement of the CBP’s new ruling, thereby reinstating the earlier decision that permitted Apple to import Watches only if the infringing technology was entirely disabled.
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