Medical device maker AliveCor said US President Joe Biden had upheld an International Trade Commission (ITC) ruling that potentially prevented the Apple Watch from being imported into the United States.
"We thank President Biden for upholding the ITC ruling and holding Apple liable for patent infringement of our EKG technology," said AliveCor CEO Priya Abani.
In December, the ITC issued a final ruling accusing Apple of infringing on AliveCor's electrocardiogram (ECG) technology patent. In that decision, the ITC recommended an order to limit orders and stop selling for Apple Watches that have an ECG feature.
If this ruling is upheld, it means that Apple will no longer be able to import Apple Watches that have the ECG feature which cannot be imported for sale in the United States, we were quoted as saying by The Verge, Wednesday (22/2/2023).
Apple, through spokeswoman Hannah Smith, said it would appeal the ITC's decision to the Federal Circuit, or the high court.
It's just that, in its history, Apple has survived a similar problem. That is when President Obama in 2013 vetoed an ITC decision that prohibited Apple from importing iPhones and iPads because it violated Samsung's patents. This kind of thing is what Apple hopes to happen again in the current case.
The reason is that if President Biden does not veto the decision, Apple cannot sell the Apple Watch Series 4 and above in the United States. But for now the impact of the decision will not be seen.
In addition, the AliveCor patent in question was recently terminated as a technology whose patent could not be registered, namely by the Patent Trial and Appeal Board, and AliveCor is appealing the decision.