Gadronics
Apple just scored an important win in its ongoing battle with Masimo over patents related to the Apple Watch’s blood oxygen feature. Here are the details.
A bit of context
Over the past few years, Apple and health technology company Masimo have been locked in a fierce legal battle over the Apple Watch’s blood oxygen sensor.
After multiple decisions and appeals, Apple had to deactivate the technology on Apple Watches sold in the US to avoid a ban, and ended up developing a redesigned version of the feature, which moved most of the process to the iPhone, using data collected by the Apple Watch.
According to the International Trade Commission, that was enough to allow Apple to resume selling Apple Watch models with the feature enabled in the US, as the agency concluded it did not infringe Masimo’s patents.
Naturally, Masimo disagreed and filed petitions arguing that Apple’s redesign still fell within the scope of the existing exclusion order, while also challenging U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s decision to approve the updated watches.
This led to two recent decisions, as we covered here:
- First, an ITC Administrative Law Judge Monica Bhattacharyya found in an initial determination that Apple’s redesigned version of the Apple Watch’s blood oxygen feature does not infringe Masimo’s patents.
- Second, the Federal Circuit has affirmed the ITC’s initial exclusion order, meaning the original version of the blood oxygen feature on Apple Watch is still banned in the United States.
Following those rulings, the final step was for the full Commission to decide whether to review the Administrative Law Judge’s finding of no infringement, which brings us to today.
ITC declines review
Earlier today, the ITC declined to review the earlier ruling today, effectively closing the case and rejecting Masimo’s bid to reinstate the Apple Watch import ban.
From the decision, where ALJ refers to the presiding administrative law judge, EID refers to enforcement initial determination, and LEO refers to limited exclusion order:
On March 18, 2026, the ALJ issued the EID, which ultimately concluded that the accused redesigned products did not infringe the asserted claims of the Asserted Patents. On March 25, 2026, Masimo and Apple each filed a petition for Commission review of the EID.
On March 30, 2026, the parties each filed responses to the respective petitions. The Commission has determined not to review the EID. This combined proceeding is hereby terminated in its entirety with the conclusion that the accused redesigned products do not infringe the Asserted Patents, and therefore, they should not be excluded pursuant to the terms of the LEO.
In a statement to 9to5Mac, Apple said:
We thank the ITC for its decision, which ensures we can continue to offer this important health feature to our users. For more than six years, Masimo has waged a relentless legal campaign against Apple, and nearly all of its claims have been rejected. We will always defend our innovations, and remain focused on what we do best: delivering the best products and services in the world for our users.
The company added that it is pleased to continue offering its redesigned Blood Oxygen feature to users in the US, alongside other health features such as the ECG app and hypertension and irregular rhythm notifications.
Apple also emphasized the research and work its teams have put into developing and delivering health, wellness, and safety features on Apple Watch and across its other products, while maintaining a strong focus on privacy.
Masimo can still appeal the decision.
You can read the ITC’s full decision from today below:
Worth checking out on Amazon
