Apple has won a significant victory in the ongoing battle over patents related to Masimo Apple Watch‘s oxygen property of blood. Here are the details.
A little context
Apple and health tech company Masimo have been in a bitter legal battle for the past few years. Apple Watchblood oxygen sensor.
After numerous rulings and appeals, Apple had to disable it In order to avoid the ban, the technology of Apple Watches sold in the United States has ended development of a revised version A feature that transfers much of the process to the iPhone using data collected by the Apple Watch.
According to the International Trade Commission, this was enough to restore Apple’s sales Apple Watch models that enable this feature in the U.S. because the agency concluded that it did not infringe Masimo’s patents.
Naturally, Masimo disagreed and challenged US Customs and Border Protection’s decision to approve the updated watches, arguing that Apple’s redesign still fell within the scope of the existing exclusion order.
This led to two recent decisions, as we have covered here:
- First, ITC Administrative Law Judge Monica Bhattacharyya found in a preliminary ruling that Apple’s redesigned version of the Apple Watch’s blood oxygen feature did not infringe Masimo’s patents.
- Second, the Federal Circuit upheld the ITC’s original exclusion order, meaning that the original version of the blood oxygen feature on the Apple Watch is still prohibited in the United States.
After those decisions, the final step was for the full Commission to decide whether to review the Administrative Law Judge’s finding that there was no violation, which brings us to today.
ITC declines review
Earlier today, the ITC declined to review an earlier decision today, effectively closing the case and denying Masimo’s bid to reinstate his case. Apple Watch in import.
From the ALJ’s reference to the presiding administrative law judge, the EID refers to the preliminary enforcement order and the LEO refers to the limited removal order:
On March 18, 2026, the ALJ issued an EID, concluding that the defendants’ redesigned products did not infringe the asserted claims of the Assured Patents. On March 25, 2026, Masimo and Apple each filed for EID review with the Commission.
On March 30, 2026, each of the parties responded to the respective motions. The Commission decided not to consider the EID. This consolidated proceeding is dismissed in its entirety on the defendants’ finding that the redesigned products do not infringe the Claimed Patents and therefore should not be excluded under the terms of the LEO.
In a statement to 9to5Mac, Apple said:
We thank ITC for their decision, which ensures that we can continue to offer this important health feature to our users. For more than six years, Masimo has waged a relentless legal campaign against Apple, and almost all of his claims have been rejected. We will always champion our innovations and continue to focus on what we do best: providing the best products and services in the world for our users.
The company added that it is excited to continue rolling out the redesigned Blood Oxygen feature to users in the US, along with other health features such as ECG app, hypertension and irregular rhythm notifications.
Apple also highlighted the research and work its teams put into developing and delivering health, wellness, and safety features. Apple Watch and with a strong focus on privacy in its other products.
Masimo can still appeal the decision.
You can read the ITC’s full decision from today below:
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