Medical technology firm Masimo has filed a lawsuit against U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), challenging the agency’s decision to allow Apple to import its latest smartwatches with blood-oxygen reading features. The lawsuit, filed in a Washington, D.C. federal court, alleges that CBP improperly reversed its own prior determination without notifying Masimo. The company stated it only learned of the agency’s August 1st ruling after Apple publicly announced it would reintroduce the pulse oximetry technology to its Series 9 and Ultra 2 watches last week.
The legal action is the latest escalation in a protracted intellectual property dispute between the two companies. Masimo has repeatedly accused Apple of hiring away its employees and stealing its pulse oximetry technology for use in Apple Watches, allegations that are also the subject of separate, ongoing patent infringement and trade secret lawsuits. These claims previously led the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) to block imports of the affected Apple Watch models in 2023 after determining they infringed on Masimo’s patents.
Following the ITC’s import ban, Apple began selling a redesigned version of its watches with the blood-oxygen feature disabled. However, the company stated on August 14th that it had received approval from CBP to reintroduce the capability. Masimo’s lawsuit argues that CBP’s role is to enforce ITC orders, not to “create loopholes that render them ineffective,” and claims the agency’s approval was granted without Masimo’s input or any “meaningful justification.”
In its filing, Masimo has asked the court to halt the CBP’s ruling and reinstate the block on Apple selling watches with the contested blood-oxygen feature. Spokespeople for both Apple and CBP did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the new lawsuit.
