Biden upholds ITC decision that could ban sale of Apple Watch in US

The President of the United States, Joe Biden, has not reversed the decision of the International Trade Commission (ITC), which could result in a ban on sales of the Apple Watch smartwatch in the United States. The reason is that Apple has violated the patents of medical device manufacturer AliveCor.

Here's What We Know

Late last year, the ITC admitted that Apple had infringed AliveCor's patents, which relate to electrocardiogram technology in wearable gadgets. An AliveCor spokesperson welcomed the US president's decision to uphold the commission's injunction.

The ITC verdict suggests a potential ban on sales of Apple smartwatches from the Watch Series 4 to the Watch Ultra (excluding the two SE versions). However, there is a high probability that the Cupertino-based company's wearable gadgets will remain on the market.

Apple has already announced that the Patent Trial Chamber (PTAB) has ruled AliveCor's technology unpatentable. As such, the medical device maker must prove its case to the PTAB if it wants the ban on smartwatch sales to go into effect.

The problems for Apple don't end there. Masimo, too, filed a lawsuit last month, claiming patent infringement of its heart rate and blood oxygenation measurement technologies. The ITC could ban imports of smartwatches starting with the Apple Watch Series 6 (except the SE versions).

Source: The Verge