The United States' International Trade Commission ruled a decision regarding Apple's patent battle with health tech company AliveCor. The agency issued a ban preventing the Cupertino giant from importing Apple Watches that use heart-monitoring technology.
(Photo : BRITTANY HOSEA-SMALL/AFP via Getty Images)
Andrea Angeles, 22, and Ronald Arriola, 23, try on the new Apple watch Ultra at an Apple event at Apple Park in Cupertino, California on September 7, 2022. - Apple unveiled several new products including a new iPhone 14 and 14 Pro, three Apple watches and new AirPods Pros during the event.
Andrea Angeles, 22, and Ronald Arriola, 23, try on the new Apple watch Ultra at an Apple event at Apple Park in Cupertino, California on September 7, 2022. - Apple unveiled several new products including a new iPhone 14 and 14 Pro, three Apple watches and new AirPods Pros during the event.
Apple Watch Infringed on AliveCor's Patents
Apple might be banned from importing patent infringing Apple Watch models in the United States, as the ITC ruled a Limited Exclusion Order for the company.
9To5Mac reported that this might affect Apple Watch's sales since the company will no longer sell Apple Watch Series 8 or Apple Watch Ultra in the United States because of the ruling. Both mentioned models have ECG sensor features.
It would not enforce a ban until appeals were finished in a separate dispute before the Patent Trademark Office and Patent Trial and Appeal's Board, which resulted in finding out that asserted patents are unpatentable.
Although ITC suspended enforcement of its orders pending resolution of the company's appeal decision finding, this Final Determination is a victory for AliveCor as they have been battling with the company since last year.
AliveCor stated, "Today's news is a victory for AliveCor, for other small innovator companies, and for consumers who deserve to have choices for how to manage their cardiac health." They still continue to seek relief in the Northern District of California from the anti-competitive behavior of Apple, which is expected to go to trial in early 2024.
Last June, ITC's Administrative Law Judge Cameron Elliot already announced its initial determination, and it suggested that Apple would be penalized for the infringed patents. As per Cision PR Newswire, the Final Determination will continue to a 60-day review by President Joe Biden.
Suing AliveCor
Earlier this month, Apple sued Alivecor in San Francisco federal court, as they accused the company of violating its patent rights. The company added that AliveCor just filed the lawsuits as a response to its own failure in the market.
Based on a report from Reuters, Apple also wants to set the record straight regarding who is the real pioneer of technology.
Alivecor released a statement the following week and said that this move from the company is a "desperate last-ditch effort" to bully them into submission just days before the decision of ITC.
According to the lawsuit, devices from AliveCor were copied from their advancements related to heart-rate sensors in electronic devices, health-data aggregation, and other personal health innovations.
"AliveCor's litigation campaign is nothing more than an attempt to siphon from the success of Apple technologies it did not invent, all the while selling products that rely on foundational ECG innovations that Apple patented years before AliveCor came to be," the company added.
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