Apple Appeals Lawsuit Alleging Theft of Innovative Healthcare Technology

Apple faces a $634 million penalty after a California federal jury ruled the company violated medical technology firm Masimo's patent for blood oxygen monitoring in its smartwatches. The tech giant plans to appeal the decision, arguing the patent expired in 2022 and covers outdated patient monitoring technology.

The Friday ruling marks a significant victory for Masimo in a six-year legal battle against Apple. The jury found that Apple's workout mode and heart rate notification features in its Apple Watch infringe on Masimo's patent rights.

An Apple spokesperson dismissed the case as part of a broader pattern of litigation from Masimo. "Over the past six years, Masimo has filed multiple lawsuits against Apple in different courts based on more than 25 patents, but most of them have been proven invalid," the spokesperson said. The company emphasized that the single patent in this case expired in 2022 and relates to decades-old patient monitoring technology.

But Masimo's legal team successfully convinced jurors that Apple's health monitoring features crossed the line into their patented territory. The case centers on technology that measures blood oxygen levels, a feature Apple has heavily promoted in its recent Apple Watch models as part of its push into health and fitness tracking.

This ruling could impact Apple's health technology strategy going forward. The company has invested heavily in making the Apple Watch a medical device, adding features like ECG monitoring and blood oxygen measurement. A $634 million penalty, while manageable for Apple's massive cash reserves, signals that patent disputes in the medical technology space carry real financial risks.

The case also highlights the complex patent landscape in health tech, where established medical device companies like Masimo hold extensive intellectual property portfolios that can clash with tech companies entering the healthcare market.