- Apple is banned from selling Watches in the US starting this week
- The announcement is due to Apple violating a patent on biomarker technology
Apple has been forced to stop selling the Apple Watch in the US due to a patent infringement lawsuit.
Sales of its Apple Watch Series 9 and Ultra 2 will be banned online starting on December 21 and from Apple retail locations after December 24.
The move comes after an order in October from the International Trade Commission (ITC) that could bar Apple from importing its Apple Watches after finding the devices violate medical technology company Masimo’s patent rights.
The ruling means Apple must stop selling watches on Christmas except for the SEO model.
The tech giant will be banned from selling its Apple Watch Series 9 and the Apple Watch Ultra 2 starting on December 21
The lawsuit stems from Apple implementing technology that measures blood oxygen among users.
A Presidential review period is in progress on the feature.
While the review period will not end until December 25, Apple is preemptively taking steps to comply should the ruling stand, the company said.
However, the Series 9 and the Ultra 2 are said to be available for purchase outside of the US.
Apple believes the ITC’s finding was erroneous and should be reversed and intends to appeal the decision to the Federal Circuit.
Masimo accused Apple of poaching its employees, stealing its pulse oximetry technology and incorporating it into the popular Apple Watch, which makes up 60 percent of the market.
A jury trial on Masimo’s allegations in California federal court ended with a mistrial in May.
Apple has separately sued Masimo for patent infringement in a federal court in Delaware and has called Masimo’s legal actions a ‘maneuver to clear a path’ for its own competing smartwatch.
A presidential administration had not vetoed an ITC ruling since 2013 when President Barack Obama’s administration overturned an import ban on Apple’s iPhones and iPads from a patent dispute with Samsung.
The Biden administration in February chose not to veto a separate import ban on Apple Watches based on a patent-infringement complaint from medical technology company AliveCor.
The ITC has placed the ban on hold for other reasons.