Apple must pay Masimo extra $184M in Apple Watch patent case

Apple is on the hook for another $184 million in its patent fight with health tech company Masimo.

A federal judge ordered the company to pay the amount in interest on top of the $634 million in damages Apple was found to owe for infringing a Masimo patent for low-power pulse oximeter features used in the Apple Watch. The original ruling came almost a year ago.

Judge James V. Selna rejected Apple's argument that awarding interest would be a windfall for Masimo. He cited U.S. Supreme Court guidance that interest from the time royalty payments would have been received serves only to make the patent owner whole.

There was some relief for Apple. Masimo had asked for an interest rate of 7%, but the judge set it at a rate equivalent to what Masimo pays on its own borrowing. Even at that lower rate, annual compounding added $184 million to the bill.

The patent case is separate from a more serious dispute that forced Apple to remove the blood oxygen feature from two Apple Watch models in 2023 to keep selling them in the U.S. Apple redesigned the feature to resolve that issue.

9to5Mac reports the new interest award.

Masimo had asked for interest calculated at 7%, but the judge set the rate at what Masimo pays on its own borrowing. Annual compounding still added the $184 million.

• Apple
• Apple Watch
• damages
• Masimo
• patent infringement
• pulse oximeter