Dec. 26 (UPI) — The White House on Tuesday decided not to block a ban on some Apple Watch imports as a ban upheld a health company won a ruling that accused Apple of patent infringement for copying its technology.
The ban took fool effect after Apple began pulling Apple Watch models from its shelves last week.
“After careful consultations, Ambassador [Katherine] Tai decided not to reverse the ITC’s determination and the ITC’s decision became final on Dec. 26, 2023,” the U.S. Trade Representative’s Office said in a statement.
In October, the International Trade Commission agreed with the health technology company Masimo Corp. that some features on the Apple Watch Series 6 smartphone were their tech originally.
Masimo said Apple had hired away some of its key employees and stole trade secrets connected wot its light-based technology for calculating blood-oxygen levels, which also appeared on the Apple Watch smartphone.
The tech company filed a complaint with the International Trade Commission in 2021 over the technology.
Last week, Apple said it would start phasing out sales of Apple Watch models after it failed to win a delay of the ban from the ITC. Apple ended sales of its Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2 on Thursday and pulled those items from the shelves of physical retail stores on Saturday.
