Apple Inc. and AliveCor, a company specializing in health technology, have been involved in a series of legal disputes over the years, including a contentious case with the International Trade Commission (ITC).
Today, the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit confirmed an earlier ruling by the US Patent and Trademark Office’s Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB), which concluded that the three AliveCor patents central to its ITC case are unpatentable.
In 2021, AliveCor filed a complaint with the ITC, accusing Apple of infringing upon three of its patents related to the heart rate monitoring capabilities of the Apple Watch. In June 2022, the ITC issued an initial determination siding with AliveCor, indicating that Apple had violated its patented technology. In response, Apple sought to have the PTAB invalidate AliveCor’s patents.
By December 2022, the PTAB ruled that AliveCor’s patents were unpatentable, suggesting the claims were either too obvious or overly broad. AliveCor subsequently initiated an appeal against this decision.
Three weeks later, the ITC ruled that the Apple Watch did infringe upon AliveCor’s patents, but only contingent upon the validity of those patents. An exclusion order was temporarily halted while AliveCor’s appeal of the PTAB ruling was pending.
This brings us to the current situation, where the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit has upheld the PTAB’s decision to invalidate AliveCor’s patents, effectively dismissing the ITC case.
In a statement provided to DMN, an Apple representative remarked:
We appreciate the Federal Circuit’s thorough examination in this matter. Our teams at Apple have dedicated substantial effort over the years to create leading health, wellness, and safety features that significantly benefit our users, and we are committed to continuing this journey.
Both relevant documents from today’s proceedings are embedded below.
AliveCor’s Statement
We are profoundly disappointed by today’s decisions and that the Court did not consider the additional factors which were influential in the ITC’s validity finding. This ruling does not impede our operations or our capacity to innovate for the millions of customers we serve.
These legal battles extend beyond AliveCor; they encapsulate the struggles of every small entity and the ongoing fight for innovation that faces suppression from larger corporations. Our legal challenge against Apple is essential for safeguarding innovation, upholding fair competition, and ensuring that inventors—now and in the future—have the intellectual property protections necessary to develop and expand new technologies.
We will continue to investigate all available legal avenues, including possible appeals, to affirm the validity of our patents and to assert that Apple has infringed upon our intellectual property rights. As we progress, we remain focused on revolutionizing the industry with clinically validated, AI-driven solutions that enhance access to cardiac care.
AliveCor v. Apple
AliveCor v. International Trade Commission
