U.S. authorities may ban sales of the Apple Watch smartwatch due to patent infringement

The U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) is ready to ban the sale of the Apple Watch, a smart watch that supports the ECG feature. But not right now.

Here's What We Know

The U.S. regulator has acknowledged that all of the Cupertino-based company's watches, which have the ECG function, violate patents from medical device maker AliveCor Inc. ITC officials also believe that sales of the Apple Watch domestically should be banned. However, this will be done right now, and after all the appeal processes are completed.

AliveCor appealed to the ITC a year ago. The company claimed that Apple had stolen patented technology and demanded a ban on sales of the smart watch in the U.S. This year, AliveCor filed an antitrust lawsuit, claiming it blocked the functionality of its apps in the AppStore by blocking access to a sensor that measures heart rate.

The EKG feature in the Apple Watch appeared in 2018, when the Apple Watch Series 4 was unveiled. But the story of the two manufacturers began three years earlier. AliveCor designed a bracelet for the Cupertino company's watch equipped with ECG sensors. The medical device maker wanted to demonstrate the potential of the technology in hopes of signing a contract with Apple.

But the deal did not come to fruition, and three years later the Apple Watch Series 4 was announced. Since then, all of the Cupertino-based company's watches have had electrocardiograms, except for the Watch Series SE and SE 2.

Source: 9to5Mac