Apple Watch import ban temporarily lifted by US appeals court | Science & Tech News

Apple has won the right to import two of its smartwatches into the United States, after the appeals court paused a previous ban on imports.

The tech giant was ordered in October to stop importing and selling Series 9 and Ultra 2 watches following a complaint from medical-monitoring technology company Masimo that it had infringed patents.

Masimo had accused Apple of hoovering up its employees, stealing its pulse oximetry technology and incorporating it into Apple watches.

US President Joe Biden’s administration declined to veto the ban on Boxing Day, allowing it to come into effect.

But later that day, Apple asked for a pause, which was today granted by a US appeals court.

The US International Trade Commission (ITC) ruled in October that Apple watches with technology for reading blood-oxygen levels should not be imported or sold.

Apple subsequently paused sales of its Series 9 and Ultra 2 smartwatches in the US, though shoppers could still buy them from other retailers including Amazon, Best Buy, Costco and Walmart.

The ban does not affect the Apple Watch SE, a lower-end model that does not have a pulse oximeter, nor any watches that have already been sold.