In the legal battle between Apple and medical device maker Masimo, a federal jury has ruled partially in Apple's favor. But before you get too excited, this verdict does not mean the return of blood oxygen monitoring to Apple Watches in the US.
The jury found that some of Masimo's early smartwatch designs infringed on two of Apple's design patents. Specifically, Masimo's W1 smartwatch, Freedom smartwatch, and health module infringed one patent, while their charger infringed another. The jury also determined that this infringement was willful.
Despite the ruling, Apple was awarded only $250 in damages - the statutory minimum amount the company had requested. Apple's attorneys stated that the goal was not monetary compensation but to prevent Masimo from copying Apple's designs and features.
This case is separate from the ongoing dispute over blood oxygen monitoring technology, which led to an import ban on some Apple Watch models last year. The blood O2 feature remains disabled on new Apple Watches sold in the US due to an International Trade Commission (ITC) ruling that Apple infringed on Masimo's patents for pulse oximetry.
This recent verdict does not impact the blood oxygen functionality issue, and US users of newer Apple Watch models will not regain access to this feature due to this ruling.
The blood oxygen feature will remain unavailable until either Apple successfully appeals the ITC ruling, reaches a licensing agreement with Masimo, or the relevant patents expire.