This article**[CCTV News Client];
On December 26, local time, the United States refused to overturn the ban imposed on Apple smart watches by the International Committee of the United States, which means that Apple is not allowed to sell two high-end Apple smart watches in the United States due to alleged patent infringement. On the same day, Apple confirmed that it had filed an urgent application with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit to stay the enforcement of the anti-sales order.
According to the Financial Times and Agence France-Presse, Massimo Health Technology filed a complaint with the U.S. International Commission in 2021, alleging that Apple's pulse oximetry technology used to monitor blood oxygen levels in its smartwatch products since 2020 infringed Massimo's patents.
Most of Apple's products are manufactured overseas, and the U.S. International Commission has jurisdiction over the patent dispute. In October, the commission ruled that Apple would be barred from importing and selling watches with the technology in the United States. According to the Associated Press, the ban does not affect Apple Watches, which have previously been ** and can monitor blood oxygen levels.
The U.S. federal ** has the right to overturn the ban within 60 days of its issuance, but the U.S. ** representative's office issued a statement on the 26th, saying that after "careful consultations", U.S. ** representative Tai Qi "decided not to overturn the decision of the international ** committee", which will finally take effect on December 26, 2023.
Apple said that the ban was based on a number of factual errors and that Massimo did not sell a lot of similar products in the U.S. market that competed with Apple, so Massimo would not suffer any loss even if the ban was suspended. At the same time, Apple said that it will use all means to resume sales of the two banned smartwatches in the U.S. market as soon as possible.
According to Reuters, Apple applied to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit on the same day to suspend the enforcement of the ban, at least until the U.S. Customs and Border Protection makes a relevant decision. U.S. Customs and Border Protection is scheduled to confirm on January 12, 2024, whether the redesigned Apple Watch still infringes Massimo's patents.
On the 21st and 24th of this month, Apple has removed the two smartwatches from the US official ** and physical stores in advance, thus missing the Christmas sales season. Dan Ives, an analyst at Wedbush in the United States, told the Associated Press that this could lead to a loss of $300 million or 400 million for Apple.
Massimo has also filed a lawsuit in California alleging that Apple "poached" its employees and stole trade secrets related to the patents. The jury did not reach a verdict on the case in May. Apple, for its part, sued Massimo in Delaware for patent infringement, alleging that the latter was trying to open sales channels for its competitors through litigation.
Apple has also been involved in a lawsuit against Vitality Heart, a wearable medical product company, over heart rate monitoring technology used in its smartwatches. The U.S. International Commission found Apple to be infringing in December, but that month the U.S. Patent Trial and Appeal Board revoked the certification of the company's patented technology, resulting in a possible injunction being shelved.