The White House did not veto the court ban on the import of Apple Watch to the United States
Retailers have the right to sell existing stocks of Apple smartwatches, but cannot import new ones
The US Presidential Administration has refused to veto the decision of the International Trade Commission (ITC) to ban the import of Apple Watch smartwatches into the country.
The ban was issued on the basis of a lawsuit filed by Masimo, a medical monitoring technology company that accused Apple of stealing its technology.
The Commission's order came into force on December 26, prohibiting the import and sale of Apple Watch devices that use blood oxygen measurement technology in the United States, as this technology infringes on Masimo's patent rights.
The pulse oximeter debuted in the Apple Watch Series 6 smartwatch, which was released in 2020. After careful consultations, US Trade Representative Katherine Tai decided not to lift the ban, and the ITC's order came into force.
The manufacturer suspended sales of the Apple Watch Series 9 and Ultra 2 in the US last week. The ban does not affect the low-cost Apple Watch SE model, which is still on sale, as well as previously sold devices.
Retailers have the right to sell their existing stocks of these Apple smartwatch models, but they cannot import new ones.
According to Masimo, Apple lured its employees, stole its pulse oximetry technology and implemented it in the popular smartwatch.
Apple has filed a counterclaim against Masimo in a federal court in Delaware, characterizing its opponent's efforts as a "path-clearing maneuver" for its own smartwatch.
In 2013, Barack Obama's administration lifted the ITC's ban on iPhone and iPad imports to the US as part of a patent dispute between Apple and Samsung, a measure that has not been practiced since.
In February, Joe Biden's administration refused to veto another ban on Apple Watch imports following a lawsuit filed by medical technology company AliveCor, as the agency's decision was invalidated for other reasons.
In the third quarter of 2023, Apple's division specializing in devices, home goods, and mobile accessories – including the Apple Watch and AirPod headphones – brought in $8.28 billion in revenue.
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