Biden administration will not overturn ITC’s decision on Apple Watch sales ban
Last week, following a patent dispute, the Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2 were banned from being sold in the US following a decision by the US ITC. Apple did have several avenues of recourse, one of which was the hope that the Biden administration would overturn the decision.
Unfortunately for Apple, it looks like the current administration has decided not to step in and overturn the decision by the ITC. This means that for now, both the Series 9 and Ultra 2 will continue to not be available for sale in the US through Apple. It should be noted that resellers will still be able to sell whatever remaining stock that they have, but they will not be able to import more stock in the future unless this issue gets resolved.
For those unfamiliar with the situation and how Apple landed themselves in this predicament, a company by the name of Masimo has alleged that Apple infringed on their patent related to a blood oxygen pulse oximeter sensor. The ITC has ruled in Masimo’s favor leading to the ban on the sale of the watches.
The company has stated that they are willing to negotiate with Apple where the Cupertino company could either pay a settlement or agree to license the tech, but apparently Apple is trying to find a way around the issue through software modifications. It is unclear how long this will take so maybe don’t hold your breath.
Source: 9to5Mac