As the administration declined to oppose a crucial verdict against Apple Watches, the devices may soon be prohibited from entering the US.
But it’s successful
A line of smartwatches called Apple Watch is manufactured by Apple Inc. It connects with iOS and other Apple services and devices and includes cellular telephony, fitness monitoring, and health-related features.
After being introduced in April 2015, the Apple Watch swiftly established itself as the best-selling wearable technology. 4.2 million units were sold during the second quarter of fiscal year 2015, and it is anticipated that more than 101 million people would own an Apple Watch by the end of 2020.
Legal matters
The Apple Watch has undergone numerous significant revisions and integrated a number of new functions since it was first introduced in 2015.
At the very least, it has avoided becoming obsolete like gadgets like Google Glass, but one of the functions that the Apple Watch has acquired over time is now giving it some issues.
The ECG technology found in more recent variants of the smartwatch allows it to track your heartbeat for a variety of fitness and health needs.
This is where the issues began, as the California-based business AliveCor introduced the KardiaBand in 2017, an add-on for the Apple Watch that used this heart-monitoring technology.
When the Series 4 Apple Watch was produced with its own built-in electrocardiogram technology a year later, the KardiaBand was declared unnecessary and became unneeded.
AliveCor later charged Apple with violating a patent and filed a case with the US International Trade Commission in 2021. (ITC).
The ITC decided in December that the EKG feature on Apple Watches did, in fact, violate AliveCor’s patents.
According to the ITC, it should be illegal to import these watches into the US, hence there wouldn’t be any new Apple Watches available in the country since they are created abroad.
Because of a separate disagreement between Apple and AliveCor before the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), which determined that AliveCor’s patents were invalid, the ban has not yet been lifted.
According to the USPTO, the gadget should never have been patented in the first place because it could have been created by someone with “ordinary proficiency” in ECG technology.
One side claims that the Apple Watch violates a patent and should be prohibited, however the prohibition they would typically enact is on hold since the opposing side contends that the patent is invalid.
Apple will be very disappointed if it had hoped that the US government would save them from a potential mess by vetoing the trade commission’s ruling.
The government won’t object to the decision, according to a representative for AliveCor, but any prospective ban on Apple Watches is still being delayed because of a patent dispute between Apple and AliveCor.
Both Apple and AliveCor have stated that they will be appealing against the rulings that they disagree with. While this process is continuing, any potential ban will be put on hold and would only take effect if AliveCor’s appeal is successful and Apple’s is unsuccessful.