Biden Administration Allows Ban on Imports of Certain Apple Watch Models Due to Patent Dispute

The Biden administration has declined to veto a ruling by the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) that bans imports of certain Apple Watch models due to a patent dispute. The dispute was brought by California-based medical monitoring technology company Masimo, which claims that the pulse reader feature of the Apple Watch infringes on its pulse-oximeter technology.

The pulse oximeter feature in the Apple Watch is designed to measure the level of oxygen in the user’s blood. Low blood oxygen levels can lead to serious health problems, according to Cleveland Clinic. In response to the ITC ruling, Apple said last week it was “preemptively taking steps to comply” by halting sales of the affected devices.

The ITC ruling went into effect on Tuesday, and would have needed a presidential veto to be overturned. Apple has not yet commented on the ruling, but it is likely to appeal the decision. Masimo has not yet commented on the ruling either, but it is likely to be pleased with the outcome.

The ban on imports of certain Apple Watch models is a significant setback for the tech giant, and could have serious implications for its future products. It remains to be seen how Apple will respond to the ruling, and whether it will be able to overturn the decision.