The ongoing patent dispute between Apple and Masimo has become
one of the most significant modern examples of how high-stakes
patent rights shape product design, market access and innovation in
consumer health-technology.
Some background
Masimo is a medical-monitoring technology company best known for
its pulse-oximetry innovations used in clinical environments.
Apple, meanwhile, has spent years expanding the health-tracking
capabilities of the Apple Watch. That overlap has led to a
multi-year court battle involving patent infringement, employee
poaching allegations and even product import bans.
The dispute
Masimo alleges that Apple hired away key Masimo engineers and
incorporated Masimo's patented blood-oxygen monitoring
technology into the Apple Watch. Over the past six years, Masimo
has asserted more than 25 patents across several U.S. courts and
the International Trade Commission. On Friday 14 November 2025, a
California federal jury ruled that Apple's
