Apple has been banned from selling its Apple Watch from today over claims the devices are running on stolen technology.
As a result of a federal court lifting a temporary pause on the ban, all Apple stores and third party retailers will be prohibited from selling the latest Series 9 and Ultra 2 models with the blood oxygen from 5pm EST on Thursday (18 January). The ban is only in effect in the US.
A ban on the Apple Watches was initially scheduled for December, but that was lifted temporarily after Apple requested a hold for the duration of the appeals process.
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However, that process is set to take months, so the ban has been re-introduced.
The court order Wednesday did not rule on Apple’s effort to overturn a US International Trade Commission ban on the company selling the watches.
However, it lifted an injunction that had blocked the ban from taking effect while that appeal is pending.
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The whole legal mess stems from an intellectual property dispute with Masimo, a medical device company.
The International Trade Commission found back in October that Apple’s blood oxygen sensors in the watches had infringed on Masimo’s IP.
The Series 9 and Ultra 2 have included the feature since 2020, but the more affordable SE model does not.
Masimo's founder and chief executive Joe Kiani said Wednesday's ruling showed that 'even the largest and most powerful companies must respect the intellectual rights of American inventors and must deal with the consequences when they are caught infringing others' patents'.
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Apple, on the other hand, said that it 'strongly disagreed' with the view that it had violated some patent rights with the Apple Watch.
"Pending the appeal, Apple is taking steps to comply with the ruling while ensuring customers have access to Apple Watch with limited disruption," the company said in a statement.
Apple also has plans to modify the watches in compliance with the latest ruling, doing so by removing the blood oxygen feature from its lineup.
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Modified versions of the Apple Watch Series 9 and Ultra 2 will go on sale on Thursday, the same day the ban comes into play.
The new model will now show an alert directing the user to an explanation on Apple’s website when they click on the blood oxygen icon.
UNILAD has reached out to Apple for comment.
Topics: Apple, Technology, US News
Callum Jones