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Blocking the Beat: Imports of Apple Watches Banned for Patent Infringement

The United States recently issued a new order banning the importing of certain Apple Watches into the country due to possible infringement on a patent related to pulse-reader technology. Specifically, this temporary ban affects imported watches with specific models manufactured before April 20, 2021, and specifically contain pulse-reader technology. The part in question falls under theRegulatory Verification Control (RVC), a list of parts that are managed and authorized by the customs and border protection of the US Customs and border protection. The patent that the watches are infringing upon was granted to Cardiac Insight Inc. in 2011. The patent covers an insight into “a method and system of collecting physiological data” related to an individual’s health. Their specialized wrist sensor helps to accurately measure the pulse of the wearer. This detection of pulse by specific models of Apple Watch has been found to breach the patent owned by Cardiac Insight Inc. by collecting the wearers’ pulse without permission and this data is then reportedly being used for marketing purposes. Due to this infringement, the US has implemented a ban on the import of watches with the specific model numbers subject to the ban. The violation on the patent also led to a warning issued by Cardiac Insight Inc. to Apple citing the infringement and to cease the marketing of their unauthorized device. It’s unclear how long this temporary ban will last but this infringement could lead to newer, updated versions of the Watch being released, free from the parts subject to the ban. In the event that the parties involved cannot settle the dispute, stricter measures may be taken against the importing of Apple watches with the same infringing parts. The US government have taken all necessary precautions to prevent the infringement of intellectual property rights and make sure that all companies abide by the laws and regulations in place. The ban will remain in place until relevant parties resolve their dispute in court.