Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2 will be banned from import into the United States. The International Trade Commission (ITC) has determined that Apple has infringed on patents owned by Masimo, a company that specializes in pulse oximetry technology used in these watch models. The ban will go into effect on December 26th after a presidential review period.
In anticipation of President Joe Biden’s decision, Apple has taken preemptive action by removing the affected devices from its online store in the US. Customers browsing the store will see that the pages for the Series 9 watches state “Delivery: currently unavailable.” Additionally, physical Apple stores in the US will remove all traces of the Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2 by December 24th.
Third-party retailers, such as Best Buy, Target, and Walmart, will still be allowed to sell the affected Apple Watch models until their inventory runs out. However, the import ban does not apply to the second-generation Apple Watch SE, as it does not include the pulse oximetry function.
Apple is actively seeking legal and technical solutions to overturn the import ban and restore the affected Apple Watch models to store shelves. The company’s engineers are working on potential changes to the pulse oximetry algorithms and software to ensure compliance with the problematic patent. However, it is uncertain whether a software fix will be sufficient to invalidate the ruling regarding the infringement of patented hardware technologies.
Another possibility for Apple is to negotiate an agreement and licensing deal with Masimo. Masimo’s CEO, Joe Kiani, has expressed his desire for Apple to apologize for the infringement. Kiani believes that Apple should be held accountable for its actions before any discussions can take place.
Facing the impending ban, Apple must navigate the complex world of patent disputes and seek ways to avoid the import ban in order to maintain the popularity of its Apple Watch products for customers.
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The source of the article is from the blog kunsthuisoaleer.nl