Jury says Apple owes Masimo $634 million for patent infringement

A federal jury in California ruled Friday that Apple must pay medical device company Masimo $634 million for violating a patent on blood oxygen monitoring technology.

Reuters reports The jury found that the Apple Watch’s workout mode and heart rate notification features infringed Masimo’s patent.

“This is a major win in our ongoing efforts to protect our innovations and intellectual property, which is critical to our ability to develop technology that benefits patients,” Massimo said. In a statement. “We are committed to defending our intellectual property rights moving forward.”

An Apple spokesperson told Reuters that the company plans to appeal the ruling, adding that “the only patent in this case expired in 2022, and it is for historical patient monitoring technology from decades ago.”

TechCrunch has reached out to Apple for additional comment.

The legal dispute between Masimo and Apple focuses on pulse oximetry, which uses an optical sensor to detect blood flow. Massimo has accused Apple for employing its employees—including its chief medical officer—and infringing its patents on pulse oximetry technology.

The US International Trade Commission backed Masimo in 2023, banning Apple from importing Apple Watches with blood oxygen monitoring features — which is why Apple Watches haven’t supported blood oxygen monitoring in recent years.

Then Apple announced in August of this year that it was Introducing a new version of the feature Designed to circumvent the ban, blood oxygen readings are measured and calculated on the user’s paired iPhone, rather than the Apple Watch itself.

Massimo from Suing US Customs and Border Patrol To approve the import of Apple Watches with the new Blood Oxygen application, while Apple did so asked the Court of Appeal To unblock the import.

allergenic apple fields, Win the legal minimum payout of $250 When the jury found that Masimo had infringed Apple’s design patents.