UPDATE: The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit paused the federal ban Wednesday, allowing sales of the Apple product to resume in the coming weeks, according to multiple reports.
Apple won a temporary stoppage on the U.S. sales ban of its popular Apple Watch on Wednesday after the big tech company filed an emergency appeal the day prior. The pause of the ITC ruling allows Apple to sell both affected watch models until the U.S. Customs department decides whether the company’s redesign should be allowed to retail, the Wall Street Journal reported.
The big tech company requested Tuesday that the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit stop the ban until U.S. Customs and Border Protection decides whether a patent was infringed upon on Jan. 12, according to Reuters. Apple also appealed the decision to ban imports of its watches Tuesday.
“We strongly disagree with the USITC decision and resulting exclusion order, and are taking all measures to return Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2 to customers in the U.S. as soon as possible,” Apple said in a statement on Tuesday.
The Apple Watch Series 9 and Ultra 2 are officially banned in the U.S.
Today, the Biden administration announced it would not veto the ITC’s import ban, making it official. The ban is as a result of a patent dispute between Apple and Masimo
Apple has filed an appeal and is… pic.twitter.com/OQkhnqKlA0
— Apple Hub (@theapplehub) December 26, 2023
The newest models of the device, the Apple Watch Series 9 and the Apple Watch Ultra 2, were pulled from the company’s online store on Dec. 21 at 3 p.m. and were removed from all physical locations on Dec. 24. (RELATED: Apple Reporting Tech Problems Before Products Even Go On Sale)
The International Trade Commission (ITC) ruled on Oct. 26 that the blood oxygen tracking technology in both watch models violates a patent from health technology company Masimo, Business Insider reported. The feature informs users whether their red blood cells contain a normal amount of oxygen.
President Joe Biden allowed the watches to be banned after he decided not to veto the ITC ruling by Dec. 25, Christmas Day, after the 60-day timeframe expired. Consumers who already purchased an Apple Watch Series 9 or an Apple Watch Ultra 2 were not affected by the ITC ruling.