Apple on Thursday filed a lawsuit against medical tech company Masimo in federal court in Delaware, accusing the company of “copying” the Apple Watch.
The tech giant said in its lawsuit, previously reported by Bloomberg and Reuters, that Masimo copied many of its designs and patents, including its health monitoring technology, case design and chargers.
Masimo primarily sells patient management devices for hospitals, and earlier this year it bought Sound United, a holding company whose brands include Denon and Polk Audio. Masimo also announced the W1 watch in August, which features many of the same health sensors as the Apple Watch.
An Apple spokesman said in a statement that it hopes the suit will “protect the innovations we advance on behalf of our customers.”
Massimo did not immediately respond to a request for comment, but Reuters reported that Apple is retaliating. Massimo sued Apple in 2020, claiming the iPhone maker had stolen its trade secrets and infringed on its patents, including one for measuring heart rate and blood oxygen levels. Last year, it also asked the US government to stop importing the Apple Watch, which infringes on its patents.
Apple has a long history of lawsuits over its technology. More recently, these lawsuits have included a series of patent battles with smartphone rivals Samsung and, separately, Nokia. Apple settled with Samsung in 2018 and Nokia 2017.