For most regular people, it’s the little victories that matter most. For a multinational corporation as big as Apple, this latest little victory can barely help it afford a single pair of AirPods Pro 2. Apple is fighting a running legal battle with the health tech company Masimo over pulse oximetry technology and smartwatch design patents. A jury in a federal trial awarded Apple a paltry $250 over claims Masimo’s watches look and function a little too close to the Apple Watch.
As a reminder, Masimo filed a patent lawsuit against Apple in 2020 over the Cupertino company’s blood oxygen sensor in its latest smartwatches. Masimo claimed Apple infringed on its blood oxygen patents after it hired an engineer who used to work for the California health tech company. Late last year, Masimo sought an import ban on Apple’s latest Apple Watch Series 9 and Ultra 2. The International Trade Commission granted that ban, forcing Apple to ditch its blood oxygen feature on those watches as well as the newer Series 10.
For this reason, Masimo has been developing its own series of smartwatches, namely the W1. Apple filed its own patent infringement suit against Masimo over the W1’s aesthetic and functions, which is where we came to last week’s decision in Delaware federal court. According to a report from Reuters, a jury granted Apple $250, the statutory minimum for patent infringement. Despite the award, it was a mixed verdict for Apple. This means that Apple has enough money to buy five iPhone 16 cases, but Masimo can continue to sell its product.
Apple attorney John Desmarais told Bloomberg Law, “We’re not here for the money… we want [Masimo] to stop copying our design.”
Meanwhile, Masimo is counting the whole lawsuit as a win. In a statement to Reuters, the company said that “Apple primarily sought an injunction against Masimo’s current products,” and the verdict was “a victory for Masimo on that issue.”
In an email statement sent to Gizmodo, Apple said “We thank the jury for their careful consideration in this case, finding Masimo willfully infringed Apple’s patented designs. Teams at Apple worked for years to develop Apple Watch, a successful and innovative product that meaningfully impacts users’ lives. Masimo took shortcuts, launching a device that copies Apple Watch and infringes our intellectual property. We are glad the jury’s decision today will protect the innovations we advance on behalf of our customers.”
According to the jury verdict signed Oct. 25, Apple made claims against the Masimo W1 watch, the Freedom watch, and the company’s health module. Apple also made claims against the company’s charger. The jury agreed with Apple that Masimo infringed on one patent regarding the Apple Watch’s puck-shaped charger’s original design and charger. The jury also agreed with Apple that Masimo’s copying was willful.
Apple’s original complaint said Masimo “copied Apple while filing lawsuits to try to prevent sales of Apple Watch.” The tech giant said its health tech competitor willfully made a design that “so closely resembles Apple Watch that the only plausible inference” is that Masimo copied the Apple Watch.
Meanwhile, Apple is still proceeding with an appeal for the ITC’s import ban. That case is still making its way through the federal circuit for the U.S. Court of Appeals.
Update 10/28/24 at 5:15 p.m. ET: This post was updated to include a statement from Apple.
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