Jury awards Apple just $250 in patent case against Masimo despite infringement ruling

In a complex intellectual property dispute, Apple won a partial victory against medical device maker Masimo, with a Delaware federal jury ruling that earlier models of Masimo’s W1 and Freedom smartwatches infringed on two Apple design patents. The jury awarded the tech giant, which is worth about $3.5 trillion, just $250 in damages—the statutory minimum for patent infringement in the U.S.

Apple’s primary goal was securing an injunction to halt Masimo’s smartwatch sales, not financial compensation. However, the jury found that Masimo’s current models do not infringe on Apple’s patents, allowing them to remain on the market. Apple expressed satisfaction, noting the verdict upholds its commitment to protecting its innovations.

The legal battle between Apple and Masimo began following claims that Apple had misused Masimo’s pulse oximetry technology after hiring its employees. Masimo had also won a U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) ruling last year that led to a temporary import ban on Apple’s Series 9 and Ultra 2 watches. Apple removed the contested features and countersued Masimo for patent infringement in 2022, alleging the company copied Apple Watch features for its smartwatches.

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