U.S. Jury Says Apple Must Pay Masimo $634-M in Smartwatch Patent Case

A federal jury in California said that Apple owes medical-monitoring technology company Masimo $634 million for infringing a patent covering blood-oxygen reading technology, Blake Brittain reported for Reuters.

California–based Masimo has accused Apple of hiring away its employees and stealing its pulse oximetry technology to use in Apple Watches. (Photo: Business Wire) 

The jury agreed with Masimo that the Apple Watch’s workout mode and heart rate notification features violated Masimo’s patent rights, a Masimo spokesperson confirmed.

An Apple spokesperson said the company disagrees with the verdict and will appeal.

Masimo, in a statement, called the verdict “a significant win in our ongoing efforts to protect our innovations and intellectual property.”

The California lawsuit is one branch of a contentious, multi-front patent fight between Apple and Irvine, California–based Masimo, which has accused Apple of hiring away its employees and stealing its pulse oximetry technology to use in Apple Watches.

The dispute led a US trade tribunal to block imports of Apple’s Series 9 and Ultra 2 smartwatches in 2023 after finding that Apple’s technology infringed Masimo’s patents.