Apple expressed concerns about potential “irreparable harm” after the White House backed a ban on imports of certain watches due to a dispute over blood oxygen technology.
The tech giant has submitted an emergency motion to the court, seeking permission to continue selling two popular models, the Series 9 and Ultra 2, until the patent dispute with medical monitoring tech company Masimo is resolved.
Apple has requested the ban to be temporarily lifted until U.S. Customs determines whether a redesigned version of its watch infringes Masimo’s patents, with a decision expected on January 12th.
Masimo has accused Apple of stealing pulse oximetry technology for monitoring blood oxygen levels and incorporating it into their watch, as well as luring some of its employees to switch to Apple.
The US ITC has ordered a ban on the import and sale of models utilizing blood oxygen level reading technology.
Wealth management analyst Dan Ives stated that the halt in watch sales before the holiday season could cost Apple $300-400 million, but the company is still expected to make nearly $120 billion in sales for the quarter, including the holiday period.
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U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai upheld the ITC’s decision, but previously purchased Apple Watches with blood oxygen measurement capabilities are not affected by the ban.
Apple contests the ITC’s decision, claiming it is based on factual errors and that Masimo does not sell significant quantities of competing products in the U.S., and would not be harmed by a ban on orders.
Source: news.sky.com
