A US ITC judge rules that some Apple Watches infringe on one of five Masimo pulse oximeter patents related to using light sensors to measure blood oxygen levels
An International Trade Commission judge ruled that Apple infringed on one of five Masimo patents related to using light sensors …
Context & Ripple Effects
Masimo’s claim against Apple began with its 2020 lawsuit alleging infringement of 10 monitoring patents. The judge’s finding narrows that broader fight to one pulse-oximeter patent while giving Masimo a favorable result in the ITC track.
The dispute later expanded into reciprocal litigation, including Apple’s claim that Masimo studied Apple IP for its W1 watches, and an ITC import-ban decision that Apple subsequently challenged. That sequence makes the initial infringement finding consequential beyond a single patent claim.
First-order effects
- Masimo gains an ITC judge’s finding that some Apple Watches infringe one asserted patent, strengthening its position in the parties’ blood-oxygen technology dispute.
- Apple must contest a finding tied to Apple Watch light-sensor blood-oxygen measurement, despite prevailing on the other four Masimo patents considered by the judge.
Second-order effects
- The favorable finding gives Masimo added leverage as the dispute moves through ITC review, a process that related coverage shows later reached an import-ban decision Apple appealed.
- Apple and Masimo’s parallel claims turn smartwatch product design into a two-sided IP contest rather than a one-way challenge to Apple’s health-feature implementation.
Third-order effects
- If wearables continue to incorporate medical-monitoring functions, disputes over sensor implementation may increasingly shape which features can be sold across borders, not merely damages between the parties.
- The Masimo-Apple conflict points toward health-focused wearable companies using patent portfolios as a competitive constraint on larger consumer-device platforms.
The trend: Wearable health monitoring is becoming a patent-intensive battleground in which component-level sensing technology can affect device market access.