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In December, the US International Trade Commission (ITC) imposed a ban on the sale and import of Apple Watch Series 9 and Ultra 2 due to a patent dispute with medical device maker Masimo over blood oxygen technology.
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Apple announced that it would release new versions of Series 9 and Ultra 2 without the disputed blood oxygen features to comply with the ban.
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The ITC's ban was temporarily paused by a federal appeals court, allowing Apple to resume sales of the affected watches.
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The court's decision followed Apple's appeal and its request for a stay on the ban.
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Masimo, the medical device maker, won the patent infringement case against Apple, claiming that Apple's blood oxygen sensors violated Masimo's patents.
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Apple is working on software changes to potentially resolve the ban, but the dispute is ongoing, and the company has already pulled the affected watches from its online store and physical stores in anticipation of the ban.
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Out-of-warranty hardware repairs for several Apple Watch models affected by the ban are unavailable for customers during this period.
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The ban, scheduled to go into effect on December 26th, led to the removal of Series 9 and Ultra 2 models from Apple's online store and physical stores.
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Apple's attempt to halt the import and sales ban was denied by the ITC, and the company is exploring ways to avoid the ban, including implementing software changes.
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The US Trade Representative is expected to make a decision on whether to block the ban after considering the case and factors involved.
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Masimo's CEO expresses skepticism about Apple's ability to code its way out of the ban, emphasizing that their patents are hardware-related.
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Despite the ban, Apple is actively working on algorithm changes and other measures to address the ITC's decision and potentially get the watches back on the market.