While the Apple Watch is back on the market, Apple's patent dispute with medical device manufacturer Masimo is far from resolved. In a new interview with the Wall Street Journal, Masimo CEO Joe Kiani goes into detail about why he's determined to fight Apple to the end: “Nobody stands up to them. If I can do it, it could change Apple for the better.”
In the interview, Kiani says that Masimo has so far spent around $100 million fighting Apple, a battle that began in January 2020. As the WSJ points out, Masimo's total profit for 2022 was around $144 million.
Before he joined Apple, Masimo employees and friends of Kiani warned him about the risks of the future. “People told me I was crazy and couldn’t compete against Apple,” Kiani said. “You have unlimited resources.”
While Masimo's disputes with Apple are likely far from over, the company has successfully won similar cases in the past.
In 2006, [Kiani] prevailed in a seven-year patent dispute with Nellcor, a company that was then a dominant supplier of a competing pulse oximeter device. In 2016, he prevailed in another patent infringement case against Royal Philips.
As part of the Nellcor settlement in 2006, Masimo received nearly $800 million in damages and royalties. In a 2016 settlement with Royal Philips, the company paid Masimo $300 million and agreed to a licensing deal that generated “more than $1 billion for Masimo.”
Kiani says Apple has not yet participated in “serious discussions about an agreement” with Masimo. In previous interviews, Kiani said that Masimo was open to a deal with Apple, but “it takes two to tango.”
“I feel like I have to do this,” Kiani concludes. “If I can stop the most powerful company in the world from continuing to act badly, that will have more impact on the world than anything else I do.”
Follow Chance: Subjects, TwitterInstagram and Mastodon.
FTC: We use income generating auto affiliate links. More.