As we learned from the two on Thursday, an official American authority has recommended a ban on imports of certain models of the connected Apple Watch into the USA. The medical device manufacturer Masimo accuses him of having copied its technologies for measuring oxygen levels in the blood.
The United States International Trade Commission (USITC) has issued a “limited exclusion order” against the models in question, which is expected to take effect in 60 days unless the U.S. government objects, Masimo, a California-based company, said in a press release.
Apple products, including connected watches, are designed in the United States but manufactured in factories in China, Taiwan or Vietnam and owned by subcontractors, most notably Taiwan’s Foxconn.
Masimo did not specify which models were affected by this decision. The company took Apple to the USITC in 2021, arguing that the Apple Watch 6, a model released in 2020 that was the first to have a blood oxygen saturation measurement feature, copied one of its patented, light-based technologies.
“The USITC decision sends a strong message that even the largest company in the world is not above the law,” said Joe Kiani, CEO of Masimo.
Apple said it would appeal the decision in federal court. “Masimo wrongly attempted to use the ITC to prevent millions of American consumers from accessing a potentially life-saving product while making room for its own watch that copies Apple’s,” the group charged in a response to a question from AFP.
Apple launched the ninth version of its Connected Watch in September.