A cardiologist in New York is suing tech giant Apple over one of the heart monitoring features used in its watches.
Dr. Joseph Wiesel, a teacher at the New York University School of Medicine, claims in a lawsuit filed Friday that Apple is infringing on his patented method for detecting atrial fibrillation, reads a new report from Bloomberg.
Wiesel said his invention covered “pioneering steps” in atrial fibrillation detection by monitoring “irregular pulse rhythms from a succession of time intervals.” He said he first contacted Apple in September 2017, giving the Cupertino, California-based company detailed information about the patent.
Apple has “refused to negotiate in good faith to avoid this lawsuit,” Wiesel contends in the suit. He wants the court to order Apple to pay him royalties and, barring that, to block the company from using his invention without permission.
Apple, which isn’t known to comment on situations involving lawsuits, has not released a statement regarding Wiesel’s claims.
The electrocardiogram functionality first appeared on the Apple Watch Series 4; it utilizes the electrodes at the back of the wearable devices and is activated by using the finger to touch the Digital Crown for 30 seconds.
Apple Watches have become a market leader in the wearables category and generated more than $24 billion USD in sales in the fiscal year that ended in September, Bloomberg reports.
