U.S. Customs: Redesigned Apple Watches Not Subject to Import Ban

Court documents reported on Monday indicate that the U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency decided on Friday to allow Apple to use redesigned watches to circumvent the import ban on two models of its smartwatches due to a patent dispute with medical technology company Masimo. The U.S. International Trade Commission had issued a decision banning the import of Apple’s "Series 9" and "Ultra 2" watches, which took effect on December 26. However, Apple convinced a U.S. appeals court to temporarily suspend the ban the following day and has since resumed selling the two watches while appealing the import ban decision. Apple argued that the proposed redesign would refute the commission's conclusion that it violated a patent held by Masimo related to technology enabling the watches to feature blood oxygen sensing. Apple has not disclosed details about the redesign process, which may include an update to the watches' software. The Customs decision can be overturned if it is not approved by the International Trade Commission. Masimo accuses Apple of poaching its employees and stealing its pulse oximetry technology to incorporate into Apple watches. This technology measures the effectiveness of oxygen reaching body parts far from the heart, such as the arm or leg. Apple denies the allegations and claims that the legal actions taken by Masimo are a "maneuver to pave the way" for launching its competing smartwatches.