'Patent Dispute' Apple Halts Apple Watch Sales in the US

Apple will halt sales of certain models of its smartwatch, the 'Apple Watch,' in the United States due to a patent dispute.

On the 18th (local time), major foreign media reported that following a patent infringement ruling by the full commission of the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC), Apple will stop both online and offline sales of some Apple Watch models starting from the 21st.

The models affected by the sales suspension are the Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2, with online sales ceasing from 3 PM on the 21st and in-store sales stopping from the 25th.

Apple stated, "The White House is reviewing the ITC decision for 60 days until the 25th, and in preparation for the possibility that this decision is upheld, we have preemptively started halting sales." The ITC is an organization that issues import ban orders on products that infringe patents.

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

On October 26, the ITC ruled that Apple infringed on the patent of medical technology company Masimo regarding blood oxygen measurement technology used in the Apple Watch. Consequently, the sale of Apple Watches containing Masimo's oxygen measurement technology patent was halted, and the import of materials necessary for manufacturing the Apple Watch into the U.S. was also banned.

The ITC's import ban order did not take immediate effect at the time but was passed to the White House for a review period of up to 60 days, after which a decision on whether to exercise a veto is made.

Apple announced the sales suspension in anticipation that the ITC decision will be upheld. It is known that presidential vetoes against ITC import bans have been rare in the past.

Apple stated that if the ITC order is maintained, it "plans to take all necessary measures to resume sales of the two watches as soon as possible." Apple is also considering appealing the ITC decision to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit.

Masimo previously filed a lawsuit claiming that the blood oxygen measurement technology in the Apple Watch infringed on its patents and requested an import ban in the U.S.

Apple's Wearables, Home, and Accessories segment, which includes the Apple Watch, earned $9.3 billion (approximately 12.1179 trillion KRW) in the third quarter (July to September), ranking third in revenue after the iPhone and Services segments.

On the same day, Apple’s stock price closed down nearly 1% on the New York Stock Exchange.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.