ITC Judge Says Apple Watch Redesign Does Not Infringe Masimo Patents

An administrative law judge at the U.S. International Trade Commission has ruled that Apple's redesigned Apple Watch models do not infringe patents owned by medical technology company Masimo. The preliminary decision is a setback for Masimo's ongoing effort to reinstate an import ban on Apple's popular wearables in the United States.



According to a notice of recommended determination issued on March 18, 2026, Judge Monica Bhattacharyya found that importing and selling the modified hardware, referred to as the "Apple Redesign 2 Watch," does not violate Masimo's '502 or '648 patents. The judge also determined that Apple does not induce infringement when the redesigned watch is paired with and used alongside an iPhone in the United States.


The decision supports Apple's efforts to work around a previous ITC exclusion order. After the Biden administration allowed an initial import ban to stand in late 2023, Apple was forced to temporarily disable the blood oxygen feature on new devices sold in the U.S. To address the issue, the company developed a workaround that shifts final pulse oximetry calculations off the watch and onto a paired iPhone. U.S. Customs and Border Protection approved that approach, allowing Apple to restore the functionality for U.S. customers through a software update last August.

Masimo has continued to challenge Apple's workaround. The Irvine-based company sued U.S. Customs shortly after the redesign was approved, alleging the agency improperly enabled Apple to bypass the import ban. The full ITC commission must still review and potentially affirm the judge's determination, but the ruling for now allows Apple to continue importing and selling its devices without disruption.

The broader dispute remains active across multiple venues. One day earlier, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit affirmed the original 2023 ruling blocking imports of Apple's non-redesigned watches. In a separate case, a federal jury in California ordered Apple to pay Masimo $634 million late last year for infringing a different patent related to heart rate notifications. Apple has said it will appeal that verdict.