Apple Wins Smartwatch Patent Fight Against Masimo — Jury Awards Apple $250 in the Lawsuit

The medical device maker Masimo lost a lawsuit against Apple after the tech giant was able to convince the federal jury that Masimo’s smartwatches infringed two of its design patents. On Friday, the jury was able to determine that Masimo had infringed Apple’s patent designs. It then awarded $250 as compensation to Apple for Masimo’s patent infringement. It was a mixed victory for Apple, according to this amount for statutory remedy. 

“We’re not here for the money,” Apple’s attorney John Desmarais said during closing arguments.

Apple filed the lawsuit against Masimo’s W1 smartwatch, Freedom smartwatch, and health module. The jury ruled that Apple was allegedly infringed by these devices, including Masimo’s charger, which violated another patent.

However, the court also ruled that the current devices by Masimo do not violate the claims made by Apple. 

Notably, earlier, Masimo accused Apple of hiring away its employees and stealing its pulse oximetry technology after discussing a potential collaboration. Masimo convinced the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) last year to block imports of certain Apple smartwatches Apple’s Series 9 and Ultra 2 smartwatches after the commission found that their technology for reading blood oxygen levels infringed Masimo’s patents.

In a retaliatory move, Apple countersued Masimo for patent infringement in 2022, accusing the company of copying Apple Watch features for its smartwatches. Masimo said Apple’s patent lawsuit was “an attempt to avoid the court in which the parties have been litigating their dispute.”