The US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit has granted a request by Apple today to temporarily lift the current International Trade Commission US import ban on the Apple Watch Series 9 and Ultra 2 smartwatches. The ban officially went into full effect earlier this week before today"s legal decision.
CNBC reports that the appeals court decision means that Apple can resume sales of the two Apple Watch models on its website and in its stores. Apple stopped selling the smartwatches on its website on December 21 and in its stores after December 24. As of this writing, Apple has yet to enable sales of the smartwatches on its site.
The ITC originally ruled back in October that the hardware and software of the Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2 violated the patents of a company named Masimo, which had developed blood oxygen sensor technology. The Biden Administration had the power to overturn the ban after a 60-day review period that ended on Dec. 25. However, it ultimately decided not to overrule the ITC"s decision.
Today"s ruling by the appeals court is a major win for Apple as it continues to go through the process of appealing the ITC"s full ruling. The company is currently asking for an even longer pause on the US import ban while the appeals court makes a more permanent decision on the actual patent infringement battle between Apple and Masimo.
This import ban pause also means that third-party retailers like Amazon, Walmart, Best Buy, and others can accept new units of the Apple Watch Series 9 and Ultra 2 to add to their inventory. Until the ITC"s original ban, third-party retailers could continue to sell the smartphones, but once their inventory ran out, they would not be able to sell anymore.