AliveCor loses patent battle against Apple as court rules in favor of tech giant
Apple just scored a win in its ongoing legal battle with AliveCor, dodging a potential Apple Watch import ban in the U.S. A federal appeals court upheld the decision to invalidate three of AliveCor’s patents related to heart rate monitoring and ECG technology, effectively dismantling a key argument in the lawsuit. And no, this has nothing to do with the SpO2 lawsuit. That still remains.
The legal fight with AliveCor started back in 2021 and it is to do with the alleged infringing of Apple on its patents. The case got serious when the International Trade Commission (ITC) sided with AliveCor and recommended blocking Apple Watch imports.
Apple fought back, arguing that the patents in question shouldn’t have been granted in the first place. The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office’s (USPTO) Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) agreed with Apple, stating that the patents were invalid. But even with that ruling, the ITC still moved forward with its import ban recommendation, leading to more legal back-and-forth.
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Now, the federal appeals court has sided with Apple, backing the PTAB’s decision and striking down the ITC’s import ban threat. That’s a significant victory for Apple, which can now continue selling Apple Watches in the U.S. without this particular legal headache hanging over it. In response, Apple thanked the court and emphasized its commitment to advancing Apple Watch health features.
AliveCor, however, isn’t backing down quietly. The company expressed disappointment with the ruling, arguing that the court didn’t properly consider certain factors that the ITC found important. AliveCor framed the case as a battle between small innovators and corporate giants, hinting that it might still have legal moves left to make. The company remains focused on AI-powered cardiac care and is exploring further legal options, including potential appeals.
Further legal hurdles
This isn’t the only legal trouble Apple is dealing with in the health tech space. A separate antitrust lawsuit from AliveCor was dismissed last year, though AliveCor is appealing that decision.
More pressing, however, is Apple’s ongoing fight with Masimo over blood oxygen sensing technology. That case has already led to an import ban on certain Apple Watch models in the U.S., forcing Apple to disable the blood oxygen feature in newer models sold in the country.
For now, Apple has cleared one hurdle with AliveCor, but its legal battles over Apple Watch health tech are far from over.
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