iPhone maker Apple can resume sales, for now, of their smartwatches, after a U.S. appeals court yesterday slammed the brakes on a government commission’s import ban on them thanks to a patent dispute over its use of medical monitoring technology. Reuters reported the U.S. International Trade Commission had ruled that Apple infringed the patents of a company called Masimo, and had halted the sales of the Series 9 and Ultra 2 watches. Other than a negative PR hit, WRCR market analyst Ken Mahoney of Mahoney Asset Management says Apple probably won’t be affected too much by the kerfuffle…
Analysts told Reuters a final decision could cost either company millions of dollars and potentially force a settlement or some kind of technological workaround by Apple. “Engadget” reported the ban could be reinstated on January 10th, when the ITC decides on whether to grant Apple a longer pause.