A US judge ruled Apple infringed patents owned by medical device company Masimo in some models of its smart watch, with the country’s International Trade Commission (USITC) set to consider a ban on the devices.

In a statement, Masimo revealed the result of a legal complaint against the tech giant which centred on protected technology used in its pulse oximeters, a non-invasive device which tests the level of oxygen in a person’s blood.

A US administrative law judge in Washington DC ruled Apple had breached trade laws in importing and selling devices infringing the patent.

Masimo noted Apple had started including pulse oximeter sensors in models starting with the Watch 6 Series in 2020, adding it was now up to the USITC to decide whether to slap a ban on the import of the devices.

Joe Kiani, Masimo CEO, praised the decision as a “critical first step toward accountability”, adding it should “help restore fairness in the market”.

“Apple has similarly infringed on other companies’ technologies, and we believe today’s ruling exposes Apple as a company that takes other companies’ innovations and repackages them.”

Apple bites back
In response to the ruling an Apple representative said it respectfully disagreed with the decision and “look[s] forward to a full review by the commission.”

“Our teams work tirelessly to create products and services that empower users with industry-leading health, wellness and safety features,” the spokesperson added. “Masimo is attempting to take advantage of these many innovations by introducing a device that copies Apple Watch and infringes on our intellectual property, while also trying to eliminate competition from the market.”

This is not the first time the pair have been embroiled in a patent row, with Masimo previously complaining about technology used in earlier versions of Apple’s Watch.