A federal court in California has ruled that Apple must pay a fine of US$634 million, equivalent to Rp10.5 trillion, to Masimo for violating a patent on blood oxygen monitoring technology.
"This is a significant victory in our ongoing efforts to protect our innovation and intellectual property, which are crucial to our ability to develop technologies that benefit patients," Masimo said in a statement quoted by Techcrunch, Sunday (11/16).
According to the California-based global medical technology company, it will continue to uphold its commitment to protecting intellectual property rights going forward.
Meanwhile, an Apple spokesperson said in a statement that the ruling is contrary to the facts and Apple plans to appeal.
"Masimo is a medical device company that does not sell any products to consumers," the spokesperson said.
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"Over the past six years, they have sued Apple in multiple courts and filed more than 25 patents, most of which have been declared invalid. The single patent in this case expires in 2022, and it specifically concerns historic patient monitoring technology from decades ago," Apple continued through its spokesperson.
The legal dispute between Masimo and Apple centers on pulse oximetry, which uses optical sensors to detect blood flow. In this case, Masimo accuses Apple of employing employees, such as its chief medical officer, and of infringing the company's patents on pulse oximetry technology.
The US International Trade Commission sided with Masimo in 2023, banning Apple from importing Apple Watches with blood oxygen monitoring features — which is why the Apple Watch hasn't supported blood oxygen monitoring in recent years.
Then, Apple announced in August of this year that it would introduce a new feature designed to circumvent the ban, with blood oxygen readings being measured and calculated on the user's paired iPhone.
In this lawsuit, Masiomo also reported the US Customs and Border Patrol which is considered to have approved the import of Apple Watch with the new blood oxygen implementation.