Apple Watch ban temporarily halted by appeals court

A federal appeals court on Wednesday paused a ban on the import of Apple’s latest smartwatches after a patent dispute halted sales.

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In October, the International Trade Commission issued an order blocking Apple from importing the Apple Watch Series 9, Apple Watch Ultra 2 and other newer models because they used technology that violated patents registered to another company, CNN reported.

The order went into effect Tuesday after President Joe Biden declined to intervene. That same day, Apple filed an appeal aimed at blocking the order.

Apple said it would “suffer irreparable harm” if the order was allowed to stand, as it would bar the company from selling its two most popular Apple Watch models. Attorneys for the company asked that the order be halted as Apple waits for authorities to decide whether a redesigned version of the watches will be OK’d for sale.

Officials are expected to make a decision on whether to approve of the redesigned watches on Jan. 12.

The Masimo Corporation, a medical technology company based in California, filed suit against Apple in 2021, accusing the company of violating its patent for its light-based technology to measure blood-oxygen levels.

The tech was first used by Apple in 2020 with the release of the Apple Watch Series 6, according to Masimo.

As of Wednesday afternoon, the Apple Watch Ultra 2 and Series 9 were unavailable for purchase through Apple. The Appel Watch SE, which was not part of the ban, was still available.