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After Apple appealed to the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit in Washington over the Apple Watch sales ban, the court ruled in favor of the tech giant. According to Bloomberg, reversing the sales ban is temporary, and Apple should seek to settle the case before the deadline.
Apple plans to take “all measures” to abolish the US International Trade Commission (ITC) sales ban on Apple Watch Ultra 2 and Series 9. The wearables were hit following a patent dispute between Apple and medical monitoring technology company Masimo. Given that this business sector bring in nearly $17 billion in revenue for Apple, the firm was determined to continue selling two of its most popular watches.
Apple could temporarily reverse Apple Watch sales ban
According to the court’s ruling, the Apple Watch sales ban will be on hold until January 10. Apple has already requested the court to halt the decision until January 12, when the US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) announces its final ruling on the case.
The iPhone maker has reportedly prepared a software update to solve the issues. The company has also submitted the design to the CBP for approval. While Masimo accused Apple of stealing its blood-oxygen sensor technology, it remains to be seen how a software update could satisfy the ITC.
The White House also had 60 days to review and reverse the ban. However, President Biden and US Trade Representative Katherine Tai refused to do so. The decision disrupted Apple Watch sales before and during the holiday season.
Meanwhile, this is not the first time Apple has sought US administration involvement to overturn a product sales ban. In 2013, the Obama administration reversed the sales ban on some iPhone and iPad models. Similarly, Samsung had accused Apple of infringing its patent rights.
Apple Watch Series 9 and Ultra 2 are among the best-selling wearables in the market. Their sales ban will negatively affect Apple’s following earning report. The tech firm needs to settle the case as soon as possible before other manufacturers can take advantage of the situation.