Apple loses bid to overturn $634 million Masimo patent verdict, new trial also denied - 9to5Mac

What the report says

9to5Mac reports that Apple has failed to set aside a $634 million patent verdict in favor of Masimo and was also denied a new trial. The decision keeps intact a November 2025 jury finding in California federal court that certain Apple Watch heart-rate monitoring and notification functions infringed a Masimo patent tied to pulse oximetry technology.

Citing Law360, 9to5Mac said U.S. District Judge James V. Selna rejected Apple’s post-trial motions, including its challenge to the court’s interpretation of a key patent term. Apple had argued that the disputed patent language requiring a “patient monitor” should be limited to traditional medical equipment, but the judge allowed the jury’s broader view that the Apple Watch could fall within that meaning. He also declined to order a retrial over Apple’s objections to jury instructions and excluded expert testimony.

The ruling is another development in a years-long dispute between Apple and medical technology company Masimo. According to 9to5Mac’s background, Masimo sued Apple in 2020 over alleged trade secret theft and patent infringement involving optical health-monitoring technologies. A separate International Trade Commission matter previously led to U.S. import restrictions on Apple Watch models with blood oxygen monitoring, prompting Apple to sell affected watches with that feature disabled and later introduce a redesigned approach using the paired iPhone.

Apple, through an earlier statement referenced by Law360 and quoted by 9to5Mac, has disputed Masimo’s position and said it plans to appeal. The case matters because it continues to affect Apple’s health-focused wearable strategy and highlights the legal risks surrounding consumer devices that incorporate medical-style sensor features.