In the ongoing patent dispute surrounding its latest Series 9 and Ultra 2 Apple Watches, tech giant Apple has secured a temporary reprieve as an appeals court issued an order on Wednesday, putting a halt to the ban imposed on its products.
The appeals court granted the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) until January 10 to respond to Apple’s request for an extended stay while the matter is under judicial review. The dispute revolves around the blood oxygen monitor utilized in the Series 9 and Ultra 2 watches, with allegations that Apple is infringing on the technology owned by medical tech company Masimo. The ITC’s initial ruling had led to a suspension of the watches’ production.
Masimo has not provided any comments on the matter thus far.
On Tuesday, the Biden administration upheld the ITC’s ruling, preventing the sale of the watches in the United States. Apple swiftly filed an emergency motion on the same day, seeking permission to resume sales during the broader appeal process in the contentious patent dispute. Apple argued that it would suffer “irreparable harm” if the prior court orders were upheld during the anticipated two weeks for the ITC to consider its appeal, leading to a pause in sales just before the Christmas break.
Analysts, including Wedbush Securities’ Dan Ives, estimated that Apple could face losses between $300 and $400 million in holiday sales due to the disruption. Despite this setback, Apple is projected to generate nearly $120 billion in sales for the current quarter, which encompasses the holiday shopping season.
Following the temporary reprieve, Apple expressed its enthusiasm to “return the entire Apple Watch lineup to customers in time for the new year,” and announced that both versions, “including the blood oxygen feature,” would be available for sale in American Apple stores on Wednesday and on the company’s website on Thursday at noon Pacific time.
