Hours after it was reported that US President Joe Biden’s administration declined to veto the decision of the US International Trade Commission (ITC) to ban imports of some Apple Watch models, Apple has appealed the decision in the US Court of Appeals.
The government tribunal had earlier imposed a ban on the import of Apple Watch models, including Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2, based on a complaint from medical monitoring technology company Masimo.
Apple has reportedly also filed an emergency request to pause the ban, asking the Federal Circuit to halt it at least until the US Customs and Border Protection decides whether redesigned versions of its watches infringe Masimo’s patents as well as while the court considers Apple’s request. The customs office is due to make its decision on January 12, news agency Reuters cited Apple as saying.
What Apple has to say
“We strongly disagree with the USITC decision and resulting exclusion order, and are taking all measures to return Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2 to customers in the US as soon as possible,” Apple was quoted as saying.
It must be noted that Apple has been the leading company for several quarters when it comes to shipments of smartwatches. The company’s wearables, home and accessory business, which includes the Apple Watch, brought in $8.28 billion in revenue during the third quarter of 2023.
The development comes a week after the US ITC rejected Apple’s request to pause the ban during the appeal process. It also opposed Apple’s request to halt the ban in a court filing.
Meanwhile, a Masimo spokesperson called the ITC decision “a win for the integrity of the U.S. patent system, and ultimately American consumers.”
Masimo accused Apple of stealing its pulse oximetry technology and incorporating it into some Apple Watch models.