A federal jury in California has determined that Apple must pay medical device company Masimo $634 million in damages for infringing a patent related to blood oxygen monitoring technology. Reuters reported that the jury found Apple Watch features — including workout mode and heart rate notifications — violated a Masimo patent covering pulse oximetry components.
Masimo called the verdict a significant win for its efforts to protect its intellectual property, saying innovation in patient-focused technology depends on enforcing such rights. The company reiterated that it plans to continue defending its patents.
Apple said it will appeal the decision. A spokesperson told Reuters that the patent at issue expired in 2022 and involved “historic patient monitoring technology from decades ago.” Apple has not yet provided additional comment beyond its statement.
The dispute centers on pulse oximetry, which uses optical sensors to measure blood flow. Masimo has long accused Apple of poaching key employees — including its former chief medical officer — and of violating several patents connected to the technology. That conflict escalated in 2023 when the U.S. International Trade Commission ruled in Masimo’s favor and issued an import ban on Apple Watches equipped with blood oxygen monitoring. As a result, recent Apple Watch models have shipped without the feature.
Apple announced in August that it had redesigned the blood oxygen monitoring system to address the import restrictions, shifting the calculation and measurement process to the user’s paired iPhone instead of the watch hardware itself. Masimo is currently suing U.S. Customs and Border Patrol for allowing Apple Watches with this updated implementation to enter the country. Apple, meanwhile, has asked an appeals court to overturn the ITC ban.
Apple has also countersued Masimo. In a separate case, a jury awarded Apple the statutory minimum of $250 after finding that Masimo violated certain Apple design patents.
Featured image credits: Freepik
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