Although Apple was forced to withdraw both the Apple Watch Series 9 and the Apple Watch Ultra 2 from sale in the United States, the company has achieved the impossible: a temporary reprieve from said ban.
According to The Verge, a federal appeals court has ordered that all import and sales restrictions on the watches be lifted starting today, in response to Apple’s request.
The suspension will last until the US Customs Service finishes evaluating the changes that Apple would have made to the watches. These modifications would serve to avoid the patent dispute that led to the ban on the sale of Apple Watches.
This is how things stand: for now, Apple will be able to resume the sale of the Apple Watch Series 9 and the Apple Watch Ultra 2, at least until the Customs Office issues its final verdict on January 12th.
The ITC (International Trade Commission) has banned Apple from selling and importing its new smartwatches due to a patent dispute with medical device manufacturer Masimo. Specifically, the function in question has been the system used by Apple’s latest watch models to measure blood oxygen levels.
The agency ruled that Apple had infringed Masimo’s patents in its Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2. While the ban was in effect, the Silicon Valley-based company could not officially sell its watches in the country.
The Apple Watch Series 9 and the Apple Watch Ultra 2 went on sale last Friday, September 22nd. Only four months later we will know if the authorities still allow their sale.
