Apple Watch import ban temporarily lifted
Apple has won the right to import two of its most popular smartwatches into the United States, after the appeals court paused a previous ban on imports.
The tech giant was ordered in October to stop importing and selling Series 9 and Ultra 2 watches following a complaint from medical-monitoring technology company Masimo that it had infringed patents.
Masimo had accused Apple of hoovering up its employees, stealing its pulse oximetry technology and incorporating it into Apple watches.
US President Joe Biden's administration declined to veto the ban on Boxing Day, allowing it to come into effect.
But later that day, Apple asked for a pause, saying it would suffer "irreparable harm" if the ban remained for the two weeks that it said the U.S. International Trade Commission would take to respond to its appeal.
Today the US Court of Appeals granted a pause on the import ban, in a victory for Apple.
In a four-paragraph ruling, court officials said it would halt the ban while it considers Apple's motion for a longer-term
pause during the appeals process.
The court gave the ITC until 10 January to respond to Apple's request.
"This is a big win for Apple that was unexpected by many given the legal issues involved in this patent battle," Wedbush
Securities analyst Dan Ives said.
"Masimo now has a big fight ahead. We expect an appeals case in January to be a big moment."
The US International Trade Commission (ITC) ruled in October that Apple watches with technology for reading blood-oxygen levels should not be imported or sold.
Apple subsequently paused sales of its Series 9 and Ultra 2 smartwatches in the US, though shoppers could still buy them from other retailers including Amazon, Best Buy, Costco and Walmart.
The ban does not affect the Apple Watch SE, a lower-end model that does not have a pulse oximeter, nor any watches that have already been sold.