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Apple is said to have stolen company secrets from the medical technology company Masimo, which can be found in the health monitoring of the Apple Watch – that is the accusation!
What is Masimo? Masimo produces various devices for monitoring vital functions and more. The company was founded in 1989 and listed on the NASDAQ in 2007. It currently employs around 3,500 people. But what happened? Bloomberg reports on a very piquant topic - some of the technologies in the Apple Watch's health monitoring are not Apple's invention. Many of them are said to be based on Masimo ideas - at least that's what the medical technology company claims. The focus is on the sensors for measuring the pulse.
It all started in 2013
The first Apple Watch was introduced in 2015 - but the whole thing started in 2013. According to Masimo, both companies discussed a possible collaboration. The talks were very positive. The main topic was sensors for measuring the pulse. Although both companies agreed, Apple probably had a different plan the whole time - according to Masimo. Before a partnership was actually formed, high-ranking employees were poached, including Chief Medical Officer Michael O'Reilly. The evil adult then appeared in 2015 - the first Apple Watch. But that was not all. Although Masimo warned the iPhone manufacturer several times, Apple went one step further. Cupertino registered various patents that were almost identical to those of Masimo - according to the medical technology company. In addition, many company secrets are said to have found their way into the later Apple Watch models thanks to the poached employees.
The demand: compensation and a sales stop
According to the report, Apple is said to have made targeted efforts to obtain "information and expertise" that was ultimately intended for the Apple Watch. But now the medical technology company has had enough. According to current information, Masimo has officially filed a lawsuit and demanded substantial damages – the exact amount, however, remains unknown. Furthermore, the company is demanding a sales ban on the Apple Watch Series 4 and Apple Watch Series 5. How the case will ultimately end and whether Masimo is actually telling the truth remains to be seen. In any case, a prognosis is currently impossible. (Photo by Denys Prykhodov / Bigstockphoto)
