Apple sought to overturn a jury verdict of $634 million and force a new trial – both attempts have now been rejected by a US federal judge. This means the payment in the patent dispute with medical technology company Masimo is, for the time being, final. Apple has announced it will appeal.
The years-long dispute between Apple and Masimo revolves around the health sensors of the Apple Watch – the very technologies that also shape expectations for the upcoming Apple Watch Series 12. In November 2025, a jury ruled that Apple had infringed a Masimo patent and ordered the company to pay $634 million in damages. Apple appealed this verdict – unsuccessfully.
What the proceedings are about
Masimo sued Apple in early 2020, accusing the company of appropriating trade secrets and patents related to pulse oximetry and other optical methods for health measurement. The case grew into a far-reaching dispute over the years.
The part in question was separate from the well-known import dispute: In November 2025, a jury found that the Apple Watch's heart rate measurement and associated notifications infringed another pulse oximetry patent held by Masimo – and awarded $634 million in damages.
Why Apple's appeal failed
Federal Judge James V. Selna rejected both Apple's request for a favorable ruling and its demand for a new trial. At the heart of the dispute was the interpretation of a term: Apple argued that its product was not a "patient monitor" as defined in the patent, since that term only referred to traditional medical devices. However, the judge sided with the jury, which concluded that the broader, everyday meaning of the term also encompassed the Apple Watch.
Selna also rejected the request for a retrial. Apple had challenged the instructions given to the jury and the exclusion of expert testimony, but the judge found no errors that would justify a retrial (via Law360).
What the ruling means for Apple Watch users in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland (DACH region)
For users in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland, this case is primarily a US matter. The entire dispute over blood oxygen measurement, including the import ban and feature deactivation, took place exclusively in the USA: There, Apple had to temporarily deactivate the function on newly sold models and later switch to a method in which the paired iPhone handles the evaluation.
Outside the US, this restriction never existed. Blood oxygen measurement remained continuously available throughout the DACH region (Germany, Austria, and Switzerland) – the now-confirmed damages award does not change this. The extent to which Apple's health ambitions are tied to regulatory and legal hurdles is also demonstrated by the blood pressure monitoring feature, which is currently under review by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
Apple announces appeal
The matter is not yet completely settled. Apple points out that Masimo is a medical technology company without consumer products and has asserted more than 25 patents against Apple over the years, the majority of which have been declared invalid. The patent in dispute in the current proceedings expired in 2022 and relates to decades-old patient monitoring technology. Apple intends to appeal the ruling – the next instance is likely to carry the legal battle into next year. (Image: Shutterstock / rawf8)
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