US judge rules in favour of Apple in AliveCor dispute
Make us a preferred source
Make us a preferred source on Google
The news: A US federal judge has ruled that Apple will not have to face a lawsuit by Khosla Ventures-backed AliveCor, which claimed the Apple Watch copied its heart-monitoring technology, Bloomberg reported.
The numbers: The dispute stemmed from a meeting between AliveCor co-founder David Albert and Apple executives in 2015, where Albert gave details of his company's heart-monitoring device, the KardiaBand.
AliveCor alleged in its antitrust complaint that after 18 months of discussions between the companies, Apple announced its own heart health initiative for the Apple Watch, hours after AliveCor told Apple the official launch date for the KardiaBand.
The context: US district judge Jeffrey White entered a judgement in favour of Apple, with details filed under seal due to confidentiality concerns by the companies. Apple has denied the allegations and claimed it has permitted third-party apps to use its heart-rate sensor technology since 2015. Meanwhile, AliveCor said separate patent claims against Apple continue to be litigated.
The ruling follows Apple's recent court battle with medical technology company Masimo, which accused the tech giant of hiring its employees and stealing its pulse oximetry technology to use in its Apple Watches.
The source: Bloomberg
