Apple Wins $250 in Smartwatch Patent Case Against Masimo

A jury in Delaware awarded Apple $250 in a lawsuit against Masimo Corp., finding that some of the company’s older smartwatches infringed on Apple Watch design patents.

The verdict is the latest chapter in a heated dispute between the two companies over smartwatch tech.

Apple attorney John Desmarais told jurors during closing arguments, “We’re not here for the money. We want them to stop copying our design.” He criticized Masimo for focusing on its innovations in pulse oximetry—technology that measures blood oxygen levels—arguing that the infringement still occurred despite those advancements, reports Bloomberg Law.

Apple won only $250 in the lawsuit against Masimo because it deliberately sought the minimum damages, to prove a point.

The jury found that Masimo’s W1 and Freedom smartwatches, along with a charger, infringed Apple’s patents. However, since those products are no longer sold, Apple could not block Masimo’s current devices from the market.

Masimo attorney Brian Horne, in his closing statement, suggested that Apple’s lawsuit was driven by more than just patent concerns. “Maybe they’re a little embarrassed” by Masimo’s success with pulse oximetry technology, he said. “Maybe they’re trying to throw a little mud.”

Horne also dismissed Apple’s claims as overblown, calling the allegation of intentional infringement “the most outrageous claim.” He added, “Our whole company has been built on pulse oximetry… We came to the consumer space to bring life-saving technology to the masses.”

Despite the jury’s finding of infringement, a Masimo spokesperson highlighted that the case only involved discontinued products. “Apple primarily sought an injunction against Masimo’s current products, and the jury’s verdict is a victory for Masimo on that issue,” the spokesperson said.

Apple, however, maintains that its innovations were unfairly copied. “Teams at Apple worked for years to develop Apple Watch, and Masimo took shortcuts, launching a device that copies Apple Watch and infringes our intellectual property,” said an Apple spokesperson.

The Apple Watch in the US does not include a blood oxygen app, is available for devices sold in Canada and 232 other countries and territories.