A federal jury in California ruled Friday that Apple must pay medical device maker Masimo $634 million for patent infringement on blood oxygen monitoring technology.
Reuters reports The jury found that the Apple Watch’s workout mode and heart rate notification features infringed Massimo’s patent.
“This is a significant win in our ongoing efforts to protect our innovation and intellectual property, which is critical to our ability to develop technologies that benefit patients,” Massimo said. in a statement. “We are committed to protecting our IP rights going forward.”
An Apple spokesman told Reuters the company plans to appeal the ruling, adding, “The single patent in this case expires in 2022 and is specific to historical patient monitoring technology from decades ago.”
TechCrunch has reached out to Apple for additional comment.
The legal dispute between Masimo and Apple focuses on pulse oximetry, which uses an optical sensor to detect blood flow. Massimo accused Apple of hiring its employees — including its chief medical officer — and infringing patents on pulse oximetry technology.
The US International Trade Commission sided with Massimo in 2023, banning Apple from importing Apple Watches with blood oxygen monitoring features — which is why the Apple Watch hasn’t supported blood oxygen monitoring in recent years.
TechCrunch event
San Francisco
|
October 13-15, 2026
Apple then announced in August this year that it was introducing a new version of the feature designed to circumvent the ban, which measures and calculates blood oxygen readings on a user’s paired iPhone instead of the Apple Watch.
Massimo Hall US Customs and Border Patrol lawsuit Apple has Apple Watch import approval with new blood oxygen implementation asked an appeals court To lift the import ban.
Apple also countersued Massimo, winning the statutory minimum payment of $250 when a jury found that Massimo infringed Apple design patents.