Apple has registered a win against AliveCor, a medical device company that makes personal ECGs, in a long-running battle over ‘wearable heart-monitoring technology’.
The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office's Patent Trial and Appeal Board ruled that ‘three AliveCor patents regarding the detection of heart conditions like cardiac arrhythmias were not patentable. The board found the patents were "obvious" following earlier research and technology advancements.’
The case has been in news since late 2020, when AliveCor sued the tech giant, alleging that tools included in the Apple Watch Series 4 and later, infringed on AliveCor patents. AliveCor had previously launched the KardiaBand, an accessory for the Apple Watch that could record ECGs and alert users of potential abnormalities. It pulled the product in 2019, not long after Apple revealed native ECG features.
AliveCor has also taken the case to the International Trade Commission, seeking to bar U.S. sales of Apple Watches due to the alleged patent infringement. The company also filed an antitrust suit. In June, an ITC administrative judge issued an initial determination that Apple violated two of AliveCor's patents. A final decision is expected next week.
AliveCor said in a statement on 7 December that it was "deeply disappointed" by the decision and will appeal it, but looks forward to the ITC's separate determination.
Apple recently also filed its own patent suit against AliveCor, saying it wants to "set the record straight as to who is the real pioneer." A statement said the PTAB decision should impact the upcoming ITC determination.
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