Why Masimo thought it could take on Apple

Submitted ⁨⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago⁩ by ⁨AnActOfCreation@programming.dev⁩ to ⁨technology@lemmy.world⁩

https://www.theverge.com/2023/12/28/24016913/apple-patent-dispute-masimo-lagemo-true-wearables

• Medical device maker Masimo is confident it can win its legal battle against Apple over a feature on the Apple Watch, citing previous victories against True Wearables, a startup run by a former Apple executive.

• Masimo alleges that Apple couldn’t have developed certain watch technologies without the help of Marcelo Lamego, who previously worked at both Masimo and Apple.

• Masimo CEO Joe Kiani accuses Apple of a deliberate infringement of intellectual property, resulting in an import ban on certain Apple Watch models, which has been temporarily paused pending further review.

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deegeese@sopuli.xyz ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago
Masimo is definitely in the right here.

Apple has pulled this same scam on their vendors a dozen times before.

Whether Apple will pay up remains to be seen.

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- AA5B@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago
  
  Masimo is definitely in the right here.
  
  Maybe but the story also says the guy in question only lasted a few months at Apple and that was years before the device existed. I don’t see how that guy could have had any impact
  
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lemann@lemmy.dbzer0.com ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago

That’s when Lamego went on to start his own company, True Wearables, which Masimo claimed used its technology when developing the Oxxiom, a wireless and disposable pulse oximeter.

Excuse me, a wireless and disposable pulse oximeter?

I wouldn’t be surprised if this Marcelo person is a millionaire with that kind of twisted thinking. Disposable vapes are bad enough - those devices literally contain rechargeable Lipo batteries, and now this individual starts his own company and one-ups that with disposable, wireless medical equipment?

Just wow

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- Telodzrum@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago
  They were designed for commercial-scale usage in settings where cleaning and sterilization wouldn’t be possible and the risk of infectious disease is high. Think refugee camps, battlefield hospitals, etc.
  
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  - wewbull@feddit.uk ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago
    So design one that’s easily cleaned. E.g. you throw it in a bucket of chemical X for 15 minutes. Battle field hospitals would rather have 50 cleanable items than 5,000 disposable ones. Far easier to transport.
    
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solrize@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago
What is the invention here? Infrared SPOx meters have been around forever, and wireless is a standard way to communicate data now. Didn’t Fitbits do all this stuff at least a decade ago?

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- onlinepersona@programming.dev ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago
  Apple got to patent rounded corners. The entire patent system is a joke.
  
  CC BY-NC-SA 4.0
  
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  - QuaternionsRock@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago
    
    CC BY-NC-SA 4.0
    
    Do you have the right to license your Fediverse comments like this?
    
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- GamingChairModel@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago
  
  Infrared SPOx meters have been around forever
  
  Reflectance based pulse oximeters have only been commercialized in the last decade or so. The transmissive ones that shine IR through tissue (where the IR source and the IR sensors are on opposite sides of a fingertip or earlobe) have been around for decades, but a one-sided pulse oximeter that maintains accuracy with movement is basically a recent invention.
  
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autotldr@lemmings.world [bot] ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago
This is the best summary I could come up with:

And there’s a good reason Masimo might believe that: the company came out on top when it sued True Wearables, a startup run by a former executive with a stint on the Apple Watch team, on similar grounds.

Well, the pulse oximeter tech isn’t the only parallel between Masimo’s cases against True Wearables and Apple: before starting True Wearables, founder and CEO Marcelo Lamego worked at both Masimo and Apple, where he helped develop similar technologies.

He also worked closely with the team that developed non-invasive sensors and monitors for vitals like blood oxygen levels.

However, as pointed out by Bloomberg, Lamego left Apple mere months after joining because he “clashed with managers, demanded multimillion-dollar budgets and wanted the ability to hire his own engineers without approval.” That’s when Lamego went on to start his own company, True Wearables, which Masimo claimed used its technology when developing the Oxxiom, a wireless and disposable pulse oximeter.

One of those employees is former Masimo executive Michael O’Reilly, who started at Apple in 2013 and currently works on the company’s Health Special Projects team, according to his LinkedIn profile.

One year after its win against True Wearables, Masimo CEO Joe Kiani is turning up the heat on Apple.

The original article contains 886 words, the summary contains 205 words. Saved 77%. I’m a bot and I’m open source!

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Lutra@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago
This is a bit of misdirection. This is a patent issue not a stolen IP issue.
What’s the difference? IP is secret. Patents are public. Published by the Government for all to see.

This would lead the reader to believe that the issue at hand is Apple was trying to steal secrets from Masimo.

The issue at hand is a patent violation: Apple using Masimo patents in its product. Masimo claims 5 patents were infringed ( used without permission or licensing ). On Jan 10th, the Judge found that Apple had indeed infringed on a Masimo Blood Oxygen Patent.

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