In recent days, a lot of news has been published about possible ban on Apple Watch, a legal block that would prevent all of the company’s smartwatch models from being sold. Now, depending on where we’re reading this, it looks like a lockout is imminent, may be delayed, or may not happen at all. There are also differences in the geographic scope of this measure, with some media claiming that it is limited solely to the United States, others proposing it as a global measure, and there are also some that avoid clarifying this point. I’ve even read that Apple is considering stopping production of its watch if this measure continues.

That’s why I think it’s important to try clarify what the current situation is, with the data we have so far to try to clarify any doubts that may exist in this regard. And finally, I’ll give my opinion and ask you for yours, because like almost everything in this world, this matter is debatable, especially what happens later

So let’s start from the beginning. As you already know, the Apple Watch for several generations, namely from Series 4 with WatchOS 5.2, It has an electrocardiogram function, a technology that can also be found in other competing watches. This is a feature that marked the before and after in terms of the possibilities of this type of device in the field of health.

A few years earlier, Apple had been in talks with AliveCor, which had previously designed a band for the Apple Watch that also offered an electrocardiogram function. Negotiations fell apart and each company went their separate ways, but when Apple included this feature in its watch, AliveCor sued the Cupertinos, arguing they infringed on three patents registered by them.

These types of processes usually take longer, but finally last December, the US International Trade Commission ruled that such a patent infringement had occurred and subsequently requested that the importation of the Apple Watch into the United States be blocked (remember, it is made in China). At that moment, a very specific period began to run, a sixty-day period in which the President of the United States, Joe Biden, had to decide whether or not to veto the measure. And in this regard, there is already a precedent, when Barack Obama prevented a veto on the import of the iPhone 4 into the United States. However, Biden chose not to interfere with the Commission’s decision.

So the Apple Watch is already banned in the United States?

No, and it doesn’t look like it will, at least in the short term. This is because the process involves various agencies and public bodies in the United States, among which we must pay special attention to the Patent Appeals and Litigation Office of the US Patent and Trademark Regulator. Because? Well, because this body also dictated it last December all three AliveCor patents are invalidso they cannot be used to ban the Apple Watch in the United States.

So, as is common with this type of confrontation, now comes a complicated moment where regulators and the judiciary must carefully analyze both the current situation and everything that both companies contribute to the process, which you may have already imagined. It won’t be resolved in days or weeks, and it’s quite likely that it won’t be resolved in months..

However, how will it all end? The fact that the patent and trademark regulator has ruled that the patents are invalid makes it much easier for Apple, although claims can also be made at this point, so we cannot make this opinion definitive. Let’s say that at the moment the advantage is on the scoreboard for Apple, but we must not rule out possible new twists that will reverse this position.

Therefore, and in response to one of the questions raised at the beginning, this hypothetical veto applies exclusively to the United States, Apple could continue to freely sell its Apple Watch in the rest of the world. And at this point comes what I also commented at the beginning, would Apple stop making the Apple Watch if their sale in the United States is vetoed? I personally don’t think so. Their local market is of course important for Cupertino, but abandoning the dominant position it has on a global scale in the smartwatch market, as closing a specific region seems like a decision made with the intention of losing a lot of money. , and this is something that is unimaginable in Apple.

What do you think? Do you think there will finally be a veto or not? And if so, do you think Apple would exit the smartwatch market globally?