Apple vs. Masimo: A Battle of Innovation and Infringement

In a major legal battle, tech giant Apple convinced a federal jury that earlier models of health tech company Masimo’s smartwatches infringed on its design patents. The dispute is part of a larger intellectual property dispute between the two companies, with the jury alleging that Masimo’s previous W1 and Freedom watch designs had deliberately infringed Apple’s smartwatch patents.

Despite being valued at around $3.5 trillion, Apple was only awarded $250 in damages, the legal minimum for infringement in the US. Apple emphasized that its primary goal was to obtain an injunction against sales of Masimo’s current smartwatch products following the infringement ruling.

The jury ruled that Masimo’s latest watch models did not infringe on Apple patents, a verdict that Masimo hailed as a victory. Apple’s efforts to block imports of its infringing watch lines were influenced by complaints Masimo filed with the U.S. International Trade Commission. The legal saga underlines ongoing allegations of poaching and intellectual property theft between the two companies.

(With input from agencies.)