Legal matters between Apple and Masimo have entangled further. Reuters reports that Apple has filed two lawsuits against Masimo accusing it of “secretly copying” Apple Watch tech to create its own W1 smartwatch series.
Masimo is a medical-sensor manufacturer and for over a decade now, its relationship with Apple has been salty. Before the launch of the Apple Watch, the tech giant’s team met with executives at Masimo for a potential partnership in 2013 but ended up poaching its chief medical officers and chief technology officer.
Fast forward to 2020, Masimo filed a lawsuit against Apple accusing the company of stealing its blood-oxygen technology offered in the Apple Watch Series 6 acquired from its former medical officers and seeking a ban on sales and imports of Apple Watches. Now, the Cupertino tech giant is counter-suing Masimo for stealing its tech.
Apple’s lawsuit against Masimo is a “retaliatory”
As per the report, the tech giant claims that Masimo “carefully studies” its IP during the blood-oxygen tech litigation and developed its clone, the W1. The company also stated that Masimo was using litigations to remove its smartwatch from the market to “make way for Masimo’s own watch.”
The tech giant’s spokesperson said that they hope the lawsuit would “protect the innovations we advance on behalf of our customers.”
On the other hand, Masimo’s spokesperson called the lawsuit an effort to divert attention from cases filed by the medical tech company.
Irvine, California-based Masimo said in a statement that Apple’s lawsuits are “retaliatory” and “appear to be an attempt to avoid the court in which the parties have been litigating their dispute for the past three years.”
Based on personal observation, the Masimo W1 external design is not the same as the Apple Watch but it does offer several similar health features like oxygen level, pulse rate, heart rate, fitness tracking, sleep tracking, and a companion app to store and review health data.
