Apple Accused of Delaying Masimo Legal Fight To Gain Watch Sales

Apple is trying to delay a legal fight over allegedly stolen blood-oxygen monitoring technology in its latest watch so it can gain a more dominant share of the smartwatch market, medical-sensor maker Masimo said in a court filing late Monday. From a report: Blood-oxygen monitoring is a key feature of the latest Apple Watch Series 6 announced on Sept. 15. Masimo and its spinoff Cercacor Laboratories had sued in January, accusing Apple of promising a working relationship only to steal secret information and hire away key employees, including Cercacor's former chief technology officer and Masimo's chief medical officer. Cupertino, California-based Apple hasn't formally responded to the allegations. Instead, it has filed requests to dismiss the trade-secret part of the case and earlier this month lodged petitions to have Masimo patents invalidated at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Apple wants the trial court in Santa Ana, California, to keep the civil suit on hold until those issues are resolved. Postponing the case "would allow Apple to seize on a critical window of opportunity to capture an emerging field," Masimo said in the filing Monday. "Just as it has done in numerous other markets, Apple seeks to use its considerable resources and ecosystem to capture the market without regard" to Masimo's patents, the sensor-maker said.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.