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Apple now faces a $634 million federal judgment after a California jury found that it infringed Masimo’s pulse-oximetry patent. The judgment is not an uncontested payment: the district court entered it on July 20, 2026, awarded roughly $184 million in prejudgment interest on October 5, and both companies have appealed. The case concerns patent claims 11–14, while a separate International Trade Commission (ITC) proceeding involves different Masimo patents and import remedies. For owners and buyers, the practical effect has centered on blood-oxygen availability in certain U.S. Apple Watch models, not a worldwide ban on the sensor.
What exactly did the jury decide?
The Central District of California jury returned its verdict on November 14, 2025, finding Apple liable for infringing claims 11–14 of Masimo’s U.S. Patent No. 10,433,776. The court’s final judgment, entered July 20, 2026, set damages at $634,313,913. It also states that the asserted claims are not invalid and that Apple’s infringement was not willful.
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“Not willful” is legally significant. It means the operative judgment did not make the aggravated-intent finding that can support enhanced patent damages. The finding does not erase the infringement ruling or the damages award.
Masimo described the result in a November 14, 2025 company statement as confirmation that its patent was valid, Apple infringed it, and Masimo was entitled to the award. That statement is Masimo’s characterization; the binding findings are those in the court’s judgment.
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What happened after the verdict?
Apple’s post-trial motions were denied, and the district court entered final judgment. On October 5, 2026, the court added approximately $184 million in prejudgment interest and ordered post-judgment interest on the combined judgment and interest amount.
Apple and Masimo each filed notices of appeal to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit in July and August 2026. Danaher’s SEC litigation disclosure does not say that Apple has paid the judgment. Until the appeals are resolved or the parties otherwise settle, the accurate description is a final district-court judgment under appellate review.
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What patent and technology are involved?
Patent No. 10,433,776 is the patent used for the money-damages case. The public judgment establishes validity and infringement of claims 11–14, but the excerpted order does not provide a consumer-facing claim chart. It therefore does not support a more specific description of the exact sensor layout, algorithm, or component covered by those claims.
The technology context is pulse oximetry: a light-based system that estimates blood-oxygen saturation and related measurements. Apple Watch models have offered a blood-oxygen feature, but the district-court case should not be confused with a ruling that every implementation of that feature uses the same patented design.
How is the federal damages case different from the ITC case?
The two proceedings involve different patents, forums, remedies, and practical consequences. Treating them as one case produces incorrect conclusions about both the money judgment and Apple Watch availability.
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| Issue | District-court damages case | ITC import proceeding |
|---|---|---|
| Forum | U.S. District Court for the Central District of California | U.S. International Trade Commission, with Federal Circuit and possible Supreme Court review |
| Patents | U.S. Patent No. 10,433,776, claims 11–14 | Other Masimo patents concerning light-based pulse-oximetry functionality |
| Remedy | Money damages, prejudgment interest, and post-judgment interest | Limited exclusion and cease-and-desist orders affecting imports and sales |
| Status | Final judgment entered July 20, 2026; appeals pending | 2023 violation determination; later redesign ruling and related appeals |
| Main user effect | Potential financial liability for Apple | Whether particular watches or components may enter the United States and whether the blood-oxygen feature is enabled |
Can Apple still sell Apple Watch in the United States?
Yes, the damages judgment does not itself prohibit Apple from selling watches. Any import restriction comes from the separate ITC proceeding and the status of the specific hardware design.
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The ITC issued a final determination on October 26, 2023 that Apple violated Section 337 by importing and selling certain Apple Watches and components with light-based pulse-oximetry functionality that infringed other Masimo patents. The commission issued a limited exclusion order and a cease-and-desist order. The Federal Circuit ruled for Masimo, and Apple filed a petition asking the Supreme Court to review that dispute; Danaher’s cited disclosure lists the petition as pending.
Customs and Border Protection allowed importation of a redesigned Apple Watch on August 1, 2025. The ITC then decided on April 17, 2026 that the redesign did not violate the exclusion order. Masimo appealed that redesign determination in June 2026. Those events explain why a redesign can remain importable while the underlying appeals continue; they do not convert the district-court damages judgment into a sales ban.
Which Apple Watch models were affected by Masimo’s dispute?
The Associated Press identified the Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2 as the premium models affected by the earlier U.S. blood-oxygen dispute. Apple disabled the blood-oxygen feature on affected U.S. units while the ITC fight proceeded.
That description is not a universal specification for every Series 9 or Ultra 2. Availability can vary by country, production date, hardware revision, and redesign. A buyer should check Apple’s current technical specifications for the exact model and sales region rather than infer feature availability from a headline about the litigation.
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Is the Apple Watch blood-oxygen sensor banned?
No blanket worldwide ban has been established. The ITC orders addressed importation and sale of particular products and components tied to the patents in that proceeding; they did not declare all pulse-oximetry sensors unlawful everywhere.
In the United States, Apple’s response on affected units was to disable the blood-oxygen function while the import dispute was active. A watch sold in another country, or a later hardware revision, may have different functionality. The legal status of a feature and the availability of a particular watch are therefore separate questions.
Did Apple actually pay Masimo?
The available SEC disclosure does not report that the judgment has been paid. It reports a final district-court judgment, an additional prejudgment-interest award, and pending appeals.
Interest continues under the court’s order after judgment. The eventual amount Apple must pay, and when payment occurs, can change if an appellate court modifies the judgment, orders further proceedings, or the companies reach a settlement.
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What were the trade-secret and ownership results?
The judgment was mixed rather than a complete win for either side. The court found for Masimo on trade secrets identified as L4 and L5 and entered a declaratory judgment that Apple misappropriated those secrets.
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Masimo did not receive the requested trade-secret injunction or attorneys’ fees. The court held that Masimo waived or was estopped from obtaining monetary trade-secret remedies. Apple prevailed on many other alleged trade secrets and on Masimo’s patent-ownership and inventorship-correction claims involving several Apple patents.
Those findings are distinct from the patent damages award. A declaration of trade-secret misappropriation, the denial of an injunction, and the patent infringement judgment each have different legal effects.
What happened in Apple’s countersuit against Masimo?
Apple separately sued Masimo in Delaware over the Masimo W1 watch and charger. According to Danaher’s disclosure, a 2024 jury found that Masimo’s current products did not infringe Apple’s patents, while discontinued versions of the W1 watch and charger infringed Apple design patents.
Apple received $250 in that case. Masimo’s antitrust, false-advertising, and patent counterclaims were still pending in the cited disclosure, so the Delaware result should not be presented as a final resolution of every claim between the companies.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What should buyers check before purchasing an affected Apple Watch?
Legal headlines do not identify the feature set of an individual watch. Use this checklist before buying or accepting a replacement unit:
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- A FULL-FEATURED HEALTH TRACKER—Apple Watch Series 11 gives you invaluable insights about your body, right from your wrist. Take an ECG anytime* and get alerts for a high and low heart rate or an irregular rhythm*—so you can stay closer to your heart. You can also view your overnight health tracking metrics with the Vitals app* and be notified of possible sleep apnea.*
- KNOW YOUR SLEEP SCORE—With advanced sleep tracking, Series 11 gives you a daily sleep score. It’s an easy way to help measure and understand the quality of your sleep, so you can make it more restorative.
- GET HYPERTENSION NOTIFICATIONS—Did you know that Series 11 can spot signs of chronic high blood pressure? By analyzing how your blood vessels respond to beats of the heart, it can notify you of possible hypertension.*
- SAFETY FEATURES—A smartwatch that puts your safety first. Series 11 can detect a hard fall or severe car crash, automatically help connect you with emergency services, and notify your emergency contacts.* Check In can automatically notify a loved one when you’ve arrived at your destination.
- A POWERFUL FITNESS TRACKER—With advanced metrics and motivating features like Pacer, Heart Rate Zones, training load, and Workout Buddy powered by Apple Intelligence from your nearby iPhone*—Series 11 is made to help everyone stay active, from runners and hikers to strength-training enthusiasts.
- Confirm the exact model. Record the generation, case size, connectivity version, and model identifier.
- Confirm the sales region. U.S. functionality can differ from specifications for the same family sold elsewhere.
- Read the current specification page. Look specifically for the blood-oxygen feature and any regional qualification.
- Ask about production or redesign status. Retail inventory can contain units made before and after a hardware change.
- Do not treat the feature as a medical diagnosis. A legal dispute over pulse oximetry does not change the need to follow Apple’s health-feature warnings and consult a clinician for medical concerns.
What happens while the appeals are pending?
The Federal Circuit will review the appealed district-court rulings. Possible outcomes include affirming the judgment, changing part of it, sending an issue back to the district court, or producing a result that leads the parties to settle. The pending appeals mean the district-court judgment remains the operative trial-court result, but it is not the final word in the federal appellate process.
The ITC track proceeds on its own timetable. Apple’s Supreme Court petition concerns the earlier import dispute, while Masimo’s June 2026 appeal challenges the ITC’s finding that the redesign did not violate the exclusion order. A decision in one track does not automatically decide the other because the patents and legal remedies differ.
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What are the key dates in the Apple–Masimo dispute?
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| October 26, 2023 | ITC finds Apple violated Section 337 by importing and selling certain watches and components that infringed other Masimo pulse-oximetry patents. |
| August 1, 2025 | U.S. Customs and Border Protection allows importation of a redesigned Apple Watch. |
| November 14, 2025 | Central District of California jury returns the patent-infringement damages verdict. |
| April 17, 2026 | ITC determines that the redesign does not violate the exclusion order. |
| July 20, 2026 | District court denies Apple’s post-trial motions and enters final judgment. |
| July–August 2026 | Apple and Masimo file Federal Circuit notices of appeal in the damages case. |
| October 5, 2026 | District court awards approximately $184 million in prejudgment interest and orders post-judgment interest. |
What is the practical takeaway?
Apple has a substantial, interest-bearing district-court liability that remains under appeal. The money case does not itself ban Apple Watch sales, and the separate ITC case governs import restrictions and feature changes tied to other patents. For consumers, model, country, production date, and redesign status determine whether blood oxygen is available; the only reliable way to confirm that feature is to check the current specification for the exact unit.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why was prejudgment interest added to the judgment?
Prejudgment interest is intended to account for the time between the period of infringement and entry of judgment. The court set that additional amount separately from the jury’s damages and also ordered interest to continue after judgment.
Are Apple Watch models sold outside the United States affected in the same way?
Not necessarily. The import orders discussed here concern the United States, and Apple has disclosed that feature availability can depend on market and hardware configuration. Buyers in another country should verify that region’s specification rather than assume the U.S. setting applies.
What does a finding of non-willful infringement mean for Apple?
It means the judgment did not find that Apple’s infringement met the legal standard for willfulness. The finding leaves the infringement and damages rulings in place while removing that particular aggravating determination.
Can the ITC redesign decision still change?
Yes. Masimo appealed the April 2026 redesign determination in June 2026. Until that appeal and any related review are resolved, the redesign decision remains subject to further judicial review.
