Apple Watch Sales Ban Paused: Here's What We Know

In a major relief to Apple, the sales ban imposed by the United States International Trade Commission against two of the company's latest smartwatch models has been temporarily paused by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. According to Reuters, the temporary judgment from the appeals court came after the consumer electronics company filed an emergency request to overturn the imminent sales ban that would have prevented the company from importing and selling the Apple Watch Series 9 and the Apple Watch Ultra 2 in the U.S.

The appeals court's ruling clarifies that it is halting the ITC-imposed ban while it considers Apple's motion for a longer-term pause. The company has also asked the trade commission to respond to Apple's request by January 10, potentially indicating that the sales ban could be deferred until next month.

While temporary, this judgment would technically allow Apple to continue selling these Apple Watch models in the country even as the company prepares for a longer legal battle. However, it is unclear at this time whether Apple would use judgment to immediately resume Apple Watch sales across all channels.

Back in October 2023, the United States International Trade Commission ruled that Apple had infringed upon a patent owned by Masimo, a company involved in the development and manufacturing of medical devices. Masimo alleged that the technology used by Apple's latest smartwatches for detecting the blood oxygen level used their patented technology. While Apple denied this, the U.S. International Trade Commission found that Masimo's claim had credence and handed over a ban against the import and sales of the newest Apple watch models — the Apple Watch Series 9 and the Apple Watch Ultra.

With the sales ban scheduled to go live in December, Apple was left with no option but to pull both the affected Apple Watch Models from all its official sales channels, including physical retail locations. As a result, Apple first pulled both these watches from its online stores on December 21, then removed these models from Apple Stores on December 24. Another last-ditch attempt to halt the sales ban failed when President Joe Biden declined to veto the ban earlier this week.

There is no denying that this newest development allowing Apple to resume sales of the affected Apple Watch models will offer the company a crucial reprieve and provide the company with breathing room to navigate the legal proceedings and potentially seek a permanent solution.