White House upholds trade ban on Apple Watches after accusations of patent infringement

The Biden administration announced Tuesday it will uphold a U.S. International Trade Commission order banning the sale of certain Apple Watches.

According to a release by the Office of the United States Trade Representative, Ambassador Katherine Tai declined to reverse an Oct. 26 ITC decision that found a blood-oxygen tracking feature in Apple Watches infringed on existing patents.

Apple did not immediately respond to USA TODAY's request for comment, but Reuters reported that Apple filed an emergency request to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit to halt the ban.

Here is what else to know about the Apple Watch ban.

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Why are Apple Watches banned?

The ban comes after two California-based health technology companies, Masimo and Cercacor Laboratories, accused Apple of infringing on its patent for a blood-oxygen tracking technology.

Masimo filed a complaint in 2021, leading to the ITC order.

"The decision to exclude certain foreign-made models of the Apple Watch demonstrates that even the world's most powerful company must abide by the law,” Masimo said in an emailed statement, USA TODAY previously reported.

Apple has also accused Masimo of infringing patents and filed two lawsuits against the company last year after Masimo launched its own smartwatch.

What Apple Watch models are banned?

The Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2.

The watches, which launched in September, were no longer available in the U.S. online Dec. 21 and were yanked from shelves Dec. 24.

The Blood Oxygen feature is available on the Apple Watch Series 6 or later, excluding the Apple Watch SE.

The order will have no impact on Apple Watches already purchased.

What will happen next?

According to Reuters, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection is set to decide whether or not redesigined watches infringe on Masimo's patents by Jan. 12.

"We strongly disagree with the USITC decision and resulting exclusion order, and are taking all measures to return Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2 to customers in the U.S. as soon as possible," Apple said in a Tuesday statement shared with Reuters.