The Watch Series 9 and Watch Ultra 2 smartwatches are back on sale because Apple managed to get the ban suspended pending a decision in the US Customs case, but this is a temporary measure and Apple's patent dispute with medical device manufacturer Masimo is still far from over. In an interview with The Wall Street Journal (WSJ), Masimo CEO Joe Kiani said he is determined to fight Apple to the end.

“Nobody opposes them. If I can do this, it could change Apple for the better,” Kiani said. According to him, Masimo spent about $100 million on the proceedings with Apple, which began in January 2020. Kiani said that friends and employees of Masimo warned him about the risks associated with going against one of the largest technology companies in the world. “People told me I was crazy and couldn’t go against Apple, which has unlimited resources,” Kiani said. Masimo's total revenue for 2022 was about $144 million, the WSJ reported.

It should be noted that Masimo had previously emerged victorious in patent litigation more than once. In 2006, it won a seven-year patent dispute with Nellcor, then the dominant supplier of a competing pulse oximeter, which was forced to pay nearly $800 million in a settlement. In turn, Royal Philips in 2016 paid Masimo $300 million under a settlement agreement and agreed to enter into a licensing agreement that brought Masimo more than $1 billion.

Kiani says Apple has not yet entered into 'serious settlement discussions' with Masimo. He previously expressed readiness for an agreement with Apple, but 'it takes two to tango.' “I feel like I have to do it,” Kiani said. “If I can stop the most powerful company in the world from continuing to misbehave, it will have a greater impact on the world than anything else I do.”