US bans Apple Watch imports, but final word hasn’t been said yet

He Apple Watch back in the spotlight, but this time for the most undesirable reasons. The US International Trade Commission (ITC) found that Apple infringed patents during its development and banned its import into North America..

Reportedly Wall Street Magazine, the agency has issued a “limited exclusion order” that affects certain Apple Watch models. Although it is not specified which ones, it will be from the already discontinued Watch Series 6 onwards. In any case, the import veto is not immediately applicable, but the Cupertino veto They still have the resources to undo this..

The ITC’s decision, which upheld the original ruling issued last January, will now be reviewed by the White House. Joe Biden’s administration will have 60 days to decide whether or not to veto the ban. After this period, Apple may appeal to the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit.

It is worth noting that Apple is facing various cases in which it is accused of violating patents in the development of the Apple Watch. In this case, the import ban corresponds to the claim filed Masimowhich accuses Cupertino residents of stealing pulse oximeter technology used in smartwatches.

In 2021, the aforementioned company accused Apple of violating 5 of its patents. However, when the ITC delivered its initial verdict earlier this year, it found that the Apple Watch only infringed one of the patents at issue. The body’s final decision was expected in May. but it was postponed until yesterday.

The US may ban the sale of Apple Watch

The interesting fact about this legal battle between Apple and Masimo over the Apple Watch is that initially both companies were allies. In fact, Tim Cook’s people allegedly considered buying the medtech specialist but later backed out. However, they would “steal” several engineers who would then dedicate themselves to working on smartwatches.

Another interesting issue in this case is that Apple also sued Masimo for patent infringement, accusing it of copying the Apple Watch to create its own watch. Crossing accusations that don’t seem to have a quick resolution. An Apple representative announced this Reuters that while the ITC ruling does not have an immediate impact on consumers, They will continue to fight to reverse this..

For now, all eyes are on the White House. Although US presidents generally do not veto decisions of the International Trade Commission, there have been exceptions. For example, in 2013, Barack Obama rescinded a resolution that would have blocked marketing of the iPad 2 and iPhone 4 during the extensive dispute between Apple and Samsung.

If all avenues were exhausted and the Apple Watch veto was upheld, Tim Cook’s people would also have some tech tools to bypass it. For example, updating watchOS to block features that use infringing components. In any case it will be indicated as scenario of last resort.

As a reminder, the Apple Watch also faces another potential import block due to a lawsuit. AliveCor. In this case, for alleged infringement of patents on cardiac monitoring technology.