AliveCor’s complaint to the International Trade Commission using patents invalidated by the United States Patent and Trademark Office’s Patent Trial and Appeal Board favored Apple. The patents in question pertain to the heart rate monitoring technology utilized in AliveCor products.
AliveCor accused Apple of infringing its patents with the Apple Watch in April 2021, leading to an initial ruling in AliveCor’s favor by an ITC judge in June. Apple is presently appealing this ruling. If the final decision confirms the infringement, the ITC could enforce an import ban on the Apple Watch.
AliveCor used three patents against Apple, prompting Apple to challenge the validity of the patent claims. The USPTO’s Appeals Board invalidated multiple claims within U.S. Patent Nos. 10,638,941, 10,595,731, and 9,572,499, deeming them “unpatentable.”
Apple’s official statement asserts that the ruling supports the invalidity of the patents that AliveCor relied on to sue Apple and secure an ITC injunction.
We appreciate the thorough evaluation of these patents by the Patent Trial and Appeal Board, resulting in their invalidation. The dedication of Apple’s teams has led to cutting-edge health, wellness, and safety features that we developed independently and integrated into Apple Watch and other user-empowering products and services. As per today’s ruling, AliveCor’s patent claims against Apple in the ITC lack merit.
The invalidation of a patent eliminates any potential infringement, a significant consideration for the ITC’s final ruling. In December, the ITC will determine the necessity of an import ban.
Apple and AliveCor are embroiled in various legal conflicts, including an antitrust lawsuit against Apple by AliveCor and Apple’s counter lawsuit for patent infringement against AliveCor.
