Apple has been found to be in violation of the Tariff Act of 1930, after a United States Administrative Law Judge in Washington, D.C. determined that the company was illegally importing and selling certain Apple Watches with light-based pulse oximetry functionality and components which infringe one of Masimo’s patents. The USITC will now decide whether to impose an import ban on these Apple Watches, which were first released with the Series 6 in 2020 and are still currently being used.
Masimo is thrilled with the ruling of the ALJ, which found Apple guilty of infringing upon their pulse oximetry technology. According to Joe Kiani, CEO of Masimo, the decision is a critical step towards restoring justice in the market. He also believes that the ruling will shed light on Apple’s tendency to take other companies’ innovations and repackage them as their own.
Masimo has revolutionized the medical industry with its Masimo SET® pulse oximetry technology, which has been proven to help reduce blindness in babies in the neonatal intensive care unit, save lives of post-surgical patients on opioids, and even monitor COVID patients remotely. Now, they have taken it a step further with the Masimo W1™, the first wearable device on the market to provide users with accurate and continuous health data such as oxygen level, hydration index, and pulse, heart, and respiration rates. Be sure to check it out!
About Masimo
At Masimo, we are passionate about improving life, patient outcomes, and reducing the cost of care. Our wide array of industry-leading monitoring technologies, sensors, and automation and connectivity solutions, including our revolutionary Masimo SET® Measure-through Motion and Low Perfusion™ pulse oximetry, are trusted by leading hospitals and healthcare settings around the world. With Masimo SET®, clinicians can reduce severe retinopathy of prematurity in neonates and improve CCHD screening in newborns. Plus, when used with Masimo Patient SafetyNet™ in post-surgical wards, it helps reduce rapid response team activations, ICU transfers, and costs. Our rainbow® Pulse CO-Oximetry technology allows for the noninvasive and continuous monitoring of blood constituents, and our Root® Patient Monitoring and Connectivity Platform provides further options for monitoring. We also offer a number of tetherless, wearable technologies, portable devices, fingertip pulse oximeters, and devices that can be used in the hospital and at home.
The advanced medical technology of ORi, RPVi, and Radius VSM have yet to receive FDA 510(k) clearance, meaning they are not available for sale in the United States. However, University HealthSystem Consortium has licensed the use of the trademark Patient SafetyNet, offering a glimpse of the potential of these innovative medical technologies.
Forward-Looking Statements
Masimo’s recent victory in the United States Administrative Law Judge’s ruling may be a game-changer, potentially restoring fairness to the market and increasing patient safety. However, there is still much uncertainty surrounding potential actions to be taken by the United States International Trade Commission and other potential patent infringement activities by Apple. Masimo’s success is dependent on a number of factors, including the repeatability of clinical results, the effectiveness of Masimo’s noninvasive measurement technologies, and the cost-effectiveness of Masimo’s solutions. Moreover, the outbreak of COVID-19 has added an additional layer of complexity to the equation, making it difficult to predict the outcome. While Masimo remains cautiously optimistic, only time will tell what the future holds.