Apple Watch and Rivals Hit With New ITC Case Over Fall Detection

A new legal case in the United States now targets the Apple Watch and other smartwatches because of their fall detection feature. This feature can sense when a user falls and then send an alert. The case can lead to a ban on some watches if the company behind the complaint wins.

The International Trade Commission, also called the ITC, started the investigation after a Texas-based company named UnaliWear filed a complaint.

What the case is about

UnaliWear says several smartwatches use its patented technology without permission. The company points to two U.S. patents that cover how fall detection works. The complaint includes devices from Apple, Samsung, Google, and Garmin.

The ITC says the case involves “electronic watches with the capability to detect when a user has suffered a fall.” It also says these products get imported and sold in the United States in ways that break patent law.

UnaliWear asks the ITC to block the import of these watches. It also wants the ITC to stop companies from selling watches that are already in the country if they use the disputed technology.

If the ITC agrees, it can create a ban similar to what happened before with the Apple Watch.

Apple has seen this before

Apple already faced an ITC ban in another case. That earlier case came from a company called Masimo and focused on blood oxygen tracking. The ITC ruled against Apple, which caused a short ban on some Apple Watch models. Apple later found a way to reverse that ban, but the legal fight continues.

Now Apple and other smartwatch makers face a new risk because of fall detection.

The ITC gave the companies 20 days to reply to the complaint. If they do not respond, the ITC can treat the claims as true. As the ITC said, failure to reply can lead to “an exclusion order or a cease and desist order or both.”

The case now moves forward, and the future of fall detection on many smartwatches depends on what the ITC decides.