Apple Fined IDR 10.5 Trillion For Violation Of Masimo Patent Rights

Apple Watch Series 9 (photo: Doc. Apple)

JAKARTA The federal jury in California has decided that Apple must pay compensation of US$634 million (Rp10.5 trillion) to Masimo, a medical technology company, for cases of patent infringement.

In a recent decision, Apple was declared to have violated one of Masimo's patents, namely blood oxygen reading technology. In addition, the training mode feature and Apple Watch's heart rate notification feature are also considered to violate Masimo's patents.

Apple's unnamed spokesman, according to Reuters, stated that it disagreed with the jury's ruling. To avoid paying a large fine, Apple will appeal the decision.

Meanwhile, Masimo welcomed the decision. In a statement, Masimo said that this decision was a, "significant victory in our ongoing efforts to protect our innovation and intellectual property."

This lawsuit started by Masimo a few years ago. The company accused Apple of recruiting its employees on purpose to steal pulse oxymmetry technology and launch the feature on Apple Watch.

Previously, this lawsuit caused the US trade court to block imports of Apple Watch Series 9 and Ultra 2. To avoid the ban on imports, Apple had removed blood oxygen reading technology from its watch.

After that, Apple reintroduced an updated version of the watch last August after obtaining approval from Customs and US Border Protection. However, the US International Trade Commission (ITC) decided to hold a new process to determine Apple's updated watch status.

Masimo also filed a lawsuit against Customs and Excise after they approved the latest versions of the Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2. This latest lawsuit shows Masimo victory.