In a surprising turn of events, the import ban on Apple’s Watch Series 9 and Watch Ultra 2 (review) was paused after the company’s request was granted by the US Court of Appeals. Sale of the affected Apple smartwatch models also resumed in selected Apple stores as confirmed by the company.
According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, the new grant allowed the Watch Series 9 and Watch Ultra 2 to return to Apple’s store shelves. Starting today, the wearables will be available in select physical retail stores. Online Apple stores will also begin to list these by tomorrow or December 28 at 12:00 PM Pacific Time.
Originally, Apple was prevented from selling the Watch Series 9 and Watch Ultra 2 after the U.S. International Trade Commission discovered the Cupertino tech giant infringed on two blood oxygen sensor patents owned by Masimo Corporation. With the ruling in place, an import ban was enforced. A chance to reverse the decision was given through a President’s veto, but the Biden administration chose not to do so.
To stop the ruling from fully taking effect, Apple appealed to the US Court of Appeals, which has now been granted by the latter. ITC is given a chance to oppose the pause of the import ban until January 10. At the same time, the court will also hear any replies related to the argument until January 15. Only on this final date will we know whether the pause to ITC’s ruling will continue or not.
Apart from the temporary relief brought about by the US Court of Appeals, Apple is said to be working on a few solutions to circumvent the ban. One of those include of rolling out a software update to the Watch Series 9 and Watch Ultra 2. Another is to replace the blood oxygen sensor from the affected watches and replace it with a new one while in the manufacturing line.
What are your thoughts about the patent dispute between Apple and Masimo? Do you think it is reasonable for Apple’s watches to undergo a sales ban? Share your opinion with us in the comments.
