Apple wins a patent infringement lawsuit against Masimo, awarded $250
What's the story
Apple has won a patent infringement lawsuit against medical device maker Masimo, amid a larger intellectual property dispute between the firms. A federal jury on Friday ruled that Masimo had infringed on some Apple patents. The tech giant was awarded a statutory remedy of $250 for the infringement, Bloomberg Law reports. "We're not here for the money," Apple's attorney John Desmarais said during closing arguments.
Infringement details
Jury finds Masimo's infringement of Apple patents willful
The jury ruled that Masimo's W1 smartwatch, Freedom smartwatch, and health module infringed one of Apple's patents. Masimo's charger also violated another patent, the jury ruled. Additionally, they discovered that the infringements were willful. However, they also ruled that the current models of Masimo's watches did not infringe any Apple patents related to inventions the tech giant had accused Masimo of copying.
Legal objectives
Apple's primary goal: Injunction against Masimo's smartwatches
Apple's legal team also clarified that the primary goal of their lawsuit wasn't money. Rather, they wanted an injunction against the sale of Masimo's smartwatches after a ruling on infringement. To this, Masimo said it appreciated the jury's verdict "in favor of Masimo and against Apple on nearly all issues." The company also added that the decision only involved a "discontinued module and charger."
Counterclaims
Masimo's allegations against Apple and ongoing legal battles
Notably, Masimo had earlier accused Apple of poaching its employees and misappropriating its pulse oximetry technology, after talks of a potential partnership. Last year, the US International Trade Commission (ITC) ruled in Masimo's favor, blocking imports of certain Apple smartwatches that were found to infringe Masimo's patents. In retaliation, Apple countersued Masimo for patent infringement in 2022, accusing the company of copying Apple Watch features for its own smartwatches.