Masimo Wins A$93 Million Verdict Against Serial Patent Thief Apple

A U.S. federal jury has ordered Apple to pay A$93 million to medical technology company Masimo, the former owner of Sound United, after finding that the tech giant infringed patented blood-oxygen monitoring technology used in the Apple Watch, this is just one of many cases where Apple has been accused of stealing patented technology.

The verdict, delivered in a California federal court at the weekend, concluded that features within Apple’s Workout mode and heart-rate notification system violated Masimo’s intellectual property.

A Masimo spokesperson confirmed the ruling, which marks the latest development in a long-running and highly contentious legal battle.

Apple denied wrongdoing and criticised the ruling, arguing that “the single patent in this case expired in 2022 and relates to historic patient-monitoring technology from decades ago.” The company said it will appeal.

A Lengthy Dispute Still Unresolved

Masimo first accused Apple of lifting its pulse-oximeter innovations in a series of lawsuits, including claims that eventually forced Apple to temporarily halt U.S. sales of its Apple Watch Series 9 and Ultra 2 models.

In August, Apple modified its blood-oxygen feature and deployed the updated version across the Series 9, Series 10 and Ultra 2. U.S. Customs approved the redesigned system, but Masimo has since sued the agency, arguing it exceeded its authority by clearing the devices without consulting Masimo.

Friday’s verdict does not conclude the broader dispute, with several additional Masimo claims against Apple yet to be heard.

A Pattern of Patent Fights for Apple

The case adds to Apple’s extensive history of high-profile patent disputes, several of which have ended unfavourably for the company. Notable examples include:

VirnetX (2010–2020): After a decade of litigation over secure-communications and VPN patents, Apple was ordered to pay US$454 million, although the amount shifted through multiple appeals.

Optis Wireless (2020–2022): A Texas jury found Apple infringed LTE patents and initially awarded US$300 million. Apple appealed, sending the matter through several retrials.

Qualcomm (2017–2019): Apple and Qualcomm clashed over licensing and royalty payments, with Apple found to infringe certain Qualcomm patents before the dispute ended in a global 2019 settlement involving an undisclosed payment and a six-year licensing agreement.

Other Legal Setbacks

Apple has also faced a series of non-patent legal challenges, including:

Siri Privacy Case: Apple agreed to pay US$95 million to settle claims that Siri recordings were captured without user consent, breaching consumer privacy expectations.

Epic Games Antitrust Ruling: A U.S. judge ruled that Apple could not block developers from directing users to alternative payment methods outside the App Store—undermining a key pillar of Apple’s revenue model.

UK “Batterygate” Decision: Apple was ordered to compensate iPhone users in a class-action lawsuit over software updates that throttled performance on older devices.