Apple Watch Sales May Be Banned After Found Infringing ECG Patent

 Last year Apple was sued by AliveCor for allegedly using their ECG technology on the Apple Watch without permission. AliveCor then filed a complaint with the ITC to have Apple Watch sales banned until damages were paid. Today the ITC found that Apple is using AliveCor technology without permission.

However, the import ban of the Apple Watch to the United States market will not be enforced until Apple does the appeal process because previously the United States patent office said AliveCor's patent was invalid. Apple issued a statement that they do not agree with the ITC's decision.

Before the ECG feature was offered on the Apple Watch, AliveCor sold the KardiaBand watch band that carried this feature. Sales of the KardiaBand had to be stopped after the ECG feature started being included on the Apple Watch since 2018 causing losses to AliveCor.