Sales of the Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2 have been halted in the United States to comply with an order by the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) that found Apple infringing its blood oximeter technology patent last January. Sales of both Apple Watch models will be discontinued on December 21 online and December 24 in physical stores.
Only the Apple Watch SE will be sold because it does not use the same oximeter technology. The oximeter patent is held by Masimo Corp which is a medical equipment manufacturer. They dragged Apple to court because the Apple Watch Series 6 and above allegedly used their technology without a paid license.
The issue of patents and the Apple Watch does not end here because Apple is also facing a lawsuit by AliveCor who claims that their ECG technology has been used without permission since 2021. AliveCor has also filed a complaint with the ITC to prevent the importation of the Apple Watch into the United States.
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