Washington – The Computer & Communications Industry Association filed comments in response to the International Trade Commission asking for public input on a request to block Apple Watches from import due to a dispute over one of thousands of patents that enable such technology.
CCIA has advocated on patent issues for 50 years.
The following can be attributed to CCIA Senior Counsel for Innovation Policy Josh Landau:
“We advised the ITC to consider the risks of preventing Apple Watches from reaching US consumers when these devices offer a variety of health monitoring features that help consumers with medical conditions. Blocking importation of Apple Watches, and even blocking parts to repair existing Watches already sold, could have significant impacts on people’s health. This is only more of a problem because the judge specifically found that Apple did not copy Masimo’s technology, but developed their product independently instead.
“The ITC is supposed to protect American companies from unfair foreign competition. Here, as in far too many cases, the ITC is being used to avoid having to compete against an iconic American company that created its own innovative product.”