Apple today scored another legal victory, as a federal appeals court has vacated an International Trade Commission (ITC) ruling that could have led to an Apple Watch import ban. The federal appeals court confirmed the invalidation of a trio of patents that AliveCor claimed Apple had violated with the Apple Watch.
In a statement, Apple thanked the court and said that it will continue to develop new Apple Watch health features:
We thank the Federal Circuit for its careful consideration in this case. Apple’s teams have worked tirelessly over many years to develop industry-leading health, wellness and safety features that meaningfully impact users’ lives, and we intend to stay on this path.”
Following the lawsuit AliveCor filed against Apple, the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) had initially found that Apple had violated three AliveCor patents, related to heart rate monitoring and ECG technology.
Apple then asked the USPTO’s Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) to review the patents. While the board found that several claims were not patentable, invalidating the patents, the ITC still recommended a limited exclusion order as well as a cease-and-desist for the Apple Watch. The order was suspended while both sides filed appeals, as Apple sought an appeal of the ITC ruling and AliveCor appealed the PTAB ruling invalidating the patents.
In a statement, AliveCor expressed disappointment with the decision:
We are deeply disappointed by the Court’s decisions this morning and that the Court did not review the available secondary considerations, which the ITC found to be persuasive in their finding of validity. Today’s ruling does not affect our business or ability to continue innovating for our growing base of millions of customers.
These cases go beyond AliveCor; these cases represent every small company and every future innovation that is at risk of being suppressed by a Goliath. Our fight against Apple is necessary to preserve innovation, fair competition, and the ability to ensure that inventors – both today and of the future – have the IP protection needed to build and scale new technologies.
We will continue to explore all available legal options, including potential appeals, to defend our position that our patents are valid and that Apple infringed our intellectual property rights. As we move forward, our focus remains on transforming the industry with clinically validated, AI-powered solutions that help democratize access to cardiac care.
AliveCor’s antitrust lawsuit against Apple dismissed last year, and AliveCor is appealing that decision.
Apple hasn’t been as successful in a separate legal battle against blood oxygen sensor company Masimo, making Apple Watch models sold in the U.S. still subject to an import ban. To avoid a sales ban in the U.S., Apple has disabled blood oxygen sensing technology in Apple Watches sold in the country.
