Apple's Import Ban on Advanced Apple Watches Reinstated by Federal Appeals Court
A federal appeals court has denied Apple’s motion to temporarily pause a ban on imports of advanced models of the Apple Watch and the ban will be reinstated on Thursday, according to a Wednesday court filing. However, Apple has an approved fix to get around the Watch ban.
The Import Ban Reinstatement
A federal appeals court has denied Apple’s motion to temporarily pause a ban on imports of advanced models of the Apple Watch and the ban will be reinstated on Thursday, according to a Wednesday court filing. Apple had requested a stay on the ban while it appealed a US International Trade Commission ruling that went into effect last month. That ITC order prevented Apple from importing the Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2, among other newer models, to the United States because they violate patents registered to another company. Apple last month was granted an interim pause on the ban until a judge could rule on a longer stay that would last through the appeal process, which will likely take months. Wednesday’s ruling means that the import ban will be in effect throughout the appeal.
The Apple Watch Series 9 on display in store on September 22, 2023 in Milan, Italy.
Apple's Workaround
Apple will have a workaround: The company earlier this month received approval from US Customs and Border Protection to continue importing a redesigned version of the most advanced Apple watches. The redesigned watches will not contain a pulse oximeter function, a medical scanner technology that measures the oxygen concentration in the blood stream and the feature that was at issue in the patent dispute.
Apple did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the Wednesday ruling.
Conclusion
This is a developing story and will be updated.
