Apple stares down import ban barrel as patent battle rocks smartwatch tech

Apple is currently facing a potential new U.S. import ban that would affect certain Apple Watch models due to its long-running patent dispute with medical technology company Masimo over blood oxygen sensing technology. 

The U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) has now agreed to scrutinize whether Apple’s redesigned blood oxygen feature in newer watches still infringes on Masimo’s patents.

Apple will know its fate in six months 

On Friday, ​​the U.S. International Trade Commission decided to hold a new proceeding to determine whether imports of Apple’s updated Apple Watches should be banned as part of the patent dispute with medical monitoring technology company Masimo.

The investigation is to be concluded within six months, but it does not sit right with Apple. The company has called the case a meritless attempt to block its smartwatches’ blood oxygen feature while claiming that Masimo was actually the one who had copied its watch design to bring the complaint. 

It looks like a simple rivalry on the surface, but the conflict between Apple and Masimo goes deeper and is actually part of a contentious, multi-front patent fight that has seen Masimo accuse the tech company of luring away its employees in an attempt to steal its pulse-oximetry innovations.

The conflict can be traced back to 2023 when the commission restricted imports of Apple’s Series 9 and Ultra 2 smartwatches after it found that Masimo’s patents were infringed. Apple had to remove blood-oxygen reading technology from its watches to avoid the ban and has had to continue selling its watches in America without the feature enabled. 

Masimo claims Apple met with U.S. Customs on August 1, 2025, when it secured approval for re-enabling the blood-oxygen feature, a meeting Masimo argues they had no idea was going on, and bypassed due-process protections.

Apple allegedly presented an updated version of the technology to Customs, offloading some of the processing to the iPhone, and arguing the updated system was sufficiently different to side-step the previous infringement ruling. It got approval from U.S. Customs and Border Protection, causing Masimo to sue Customs over the approval, while Apple separately challenged the ITC’s ban at a federal appeals court.

Masimo claims it did not learn of the feature’s return until Apple publicly announced it. Despite the contention, the feature is currently enabled.

Masimo CEO who started the conflict has stepped down

The conflict between Apple and Masimo has lasted for years now, but while Apple and Masimo continue to duke it out in the legal boxing ring with the ITC as referee, the CEO who started everything, Joe Kiani, has reportedly stepped down.

This came after he was removed from Masimo’s board by shareholders, a decision that was prompted after a proxy battle with hedge fund Politan Capital Management. That conflict ensued after a $1 billion acquisition of Sound United pushed Kiani out. 

Politan nominated key board members, one of whom is now interim CEO, Michelle Brennan.

Regarding Masimo’s conflict with Apple, which he started, Kiani has given the excuse of waiting for a call from Apple to deal with the matter on numerous occasions. Meanwhile, Apple said something different: that they had indeed reached out, but were mostly rebuffed by the CEO at the time.

It remains unclear if Apple has had further discussions with Masimo or the new CEO since the Apple Watch blood oxygen sensing was restored.

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