Apple Again Faces Monopoly Accusations, Apple Watch Algorithm Is In Problem

JAKARTA - A federal judge in the US on Monday, March 14 said Apple Inc should face the Silicon Valley company's claim. The company accuses Apple of illegally monopolizing the US market for its heart rate monitoring app for its Apple Watch.

US District Judge Jeffrey White said AliveCor Inc, whose SmartRhythm app warns users of an irregular heartbeat, had tried to prove that Apple violated federal antitrust laws. These allegations are based on alleged "complete control" over the market for such applications.

"AliveCor alleges that Apple made changes to its heart rate algorithm that made it impossible for third parties to tell users when to take an EKG (electrocardiogram)," White wrote. "Plaintiffs' allegations are reasonable which establish that Apple's conduct was anti-competitive."

White also rejected AliveCor's separate claim that Apple maintains an illegal monopoly on ECG-enabled smartwatches.

The Oakland, Calif.-based judge said this was because the KardiaBand AliveCor bracelet, which can record ECGs, was only "complementary but not competitive" in that market.

Apple and its lawyers did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Reuters on the case. Adam Wolfson, attorney for AliveCor, also declined to comment.

In its May 2021 lawsuit, privately owned AliveCor accused Apple of changing its Apple Watch heartbeat algorithm to gain an "unfair competitive advantage" over its competitors. They also said that this "put the lives of countless AliveCor users at risk."

Apple, based in Cupertino, Calif., argues that it is an "uncontroversial proposition that self-explanatory product upgrades" do not violate federal Sherman antitrust laws.

Dispute case between AliveCor Inc vs. Apple Inc. is now being handled by US District Court, Northern District of California, No. 21-03958.