By Blake Brittain
(Reuters) -U.S. President Joe Biden’s administration on Tuesday declined to veto a government tribunal’s decision to ban imports of Apple Watches based on a complaint from medical monitoring technology company Masimo.
The U.S. International Trade Commission’s order will go into effect on Dec. 26, barring imports and sales of Apple Watches that use patent-infringing technology for reading blood-oxygen levels. Apple has included the pulse oximeter feature in its smart watches starting with its Series 6 model in 2020.
“After careful consultations, Ambassador Tai decided not to reverse the ITC’s determination and the ITC’s decision became final on December 26, 2023,” the agency said in its decision.
Apple can appeal the ban to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit.
Masimo has accused Apple of hiring away its employees, stealing its pulse oximetry technology and incorporating it into the popular Apple Watch.
A jury trial on Masimo’s allegations in California federal court ended with a mistrial in May. Apple has separately sued Masimo for patent infringement in federal court in Delaware and has called Masimo’s legal actions a “maneuver to clear a path” for its own competing smart watch.
(Reporting by Blake Brittain in Washington and Samrhitha Arunasalam in Bengaluru; Editing by Matthew Lewis)
