A federal judge in California has denied Apple's motions to overturn a jury verdict that ordered the company to pay $634 million for infringing a Masimo patent. The ruling also rejects Apple's request for a new trial, solidifying a major legal setback for the tech giant.
The legal battle began in 2020 with trade secret allegations
Medical technology company Masimo sued Apple, accusing it of stealing trade secrets and infringing patents related to pulse oximetry and other optical health-monitoring technologies used in the Apple Watch. The dispute escalated in 2023 when Masimo obtained an International Trade Commission ruling that led to a US import ban on Apple Watch models with blood oxygen monitoring. Apple temporarily halted sales and later resumed them with the feature disabled. In 2025, Apple introduced a redesigned system that processes sensor data on the paired iPhone.
Sponsored Protocol
The November 2025 verdict upheld by Judge Selna
In November 2025, a jury found that the Apple Watch's heart-rate monitoring and notification features infringed a different Masimo pulse oximetry patent, awarding $634 million in damages. Apple sought to overturn the finding, but U.S. District Judge James V. Selna rejected the challenge. As reported by Law360, the judge agreed with the jury that the Apple Watch qualifies as a patient monitor under Masimo's patent, dismissing Apple's narrow interpretation.
Apple's stance and next steps
Apple referred to an earlier statement, arguing that Masimo does not sell consumer products and that the majority of its asserted patents have been invalidated. The company noted that the single patent in this case expired in 2022 and pertains to decades-old patient monitoring technology. Apple plans to appeal the ruling. This case adds to a series of high-profile intellectual property disputes in the tech industry. For insights on emerging tech strategies, see LangChain, Conviva, CoreWeave: evaluating AI agents on single conversations is not enough, cohort comparison needed.
Sponsored Protocol
