AliveCor wants to bar U.S. importation of the Apple Watch

AliveCor, which specializes in FDA-cleared personal electrocardiogram (ECG) technology and services, has filed a complaint with the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC), alleging Apple’s infringement of three AliveCor patents. 

The company sued Apple last year alleging that Apple Watch electrocardiogram feature infringes three of its patents. The lawsuit, lodged in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas on Monday, claims that the ECG functionality on the Apple Watch Series 4 and later infringes on its intellectual property related to use wearable sensors to improve cardiac monitoring technology. 

All three patents focus on monitoring for cardiac arrhythmias, or an irregular heartbeat. The patented technology includes the use of data from wearable devices to aid in diagnosing the condition.

AliveCor today said that starting in 2011, it has nvested heavily in bringing advanced, AI-powered cardiological detection technology to consumer users. These investments have produced products including:

• KardiaMobile, the most clinically-validated personal ECG in the world
• KardiaMobile 6L, the first and only six-lead personal ECG KardiaBand, the first FDA-cleared medical device accessory for Apple Watch
• SmartRhythm, revolutionary artificial intelligence that continuously evaluates heart activity for signs of arrhythmias

AliveCor contends that Apple Inc. is infringing AliveCor’s asserted patents through the sale of Apple watches that employ infringing functionality. Filing in the ITC “is one step, among others, AliveCor is taking to obtain relief for Apple’s intentional copying of AliveCor’s patented technology—including the ability to take an ECG reading on the Apple Watch, and to perform heartrate analysis—as well as Apple’s efforts to eliminate AliveCor as competition in the heartrate analysis market for the Apple Watch.”