Back on November 27, Patently Apple posted a report titled "The U.S. International Trade Commission issued an order that could bar Apple from importing its Apple Watches due to Patent Infringement." Our report noted that "U.S. News reports that “The U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) issued an order that could bar Apple from importing its Apple Watches after finding the devices violate medical technology company Masimo's patent rights.

The full commission upheld a judge's ruling from January that Apple violated Masimo's rights in light-based technology for reading blood-oxygen levels. The decision will not have an immediate effect since it now faces presidential review and possible appeals."

And yet within 30 days, Apple is pulling Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2 later this week.

Until Apple makes an official statement/announcement, Apple sent a statement to 9to5Mac confirming their decision to pull the select Apple Watches. Below is the full statement.

"A Presidential Review Period is in progress regarding an order from the U.S. International Trade Commission on a technical intellectual property dispute pertaining to Apple Watch devices containing the Blood Oxygen feature. While the review period will not end until December 25, Apple is preemptively taking steps to comply should the ruling stand. This includes pausing sales of the Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2 from Apple.com starting December 21, and from Apple retail locations after December 24.

Apple’s teams work tirelessly to create products and services that empower users with industry-leading health, wellness, and safety features. Apple strongly disagrees with the order and is pursuing a range of legal and technical options to ensure that Apple Watch is available to customers.

Should the order stand, Apple will continue to take all measures to return Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2 to customers in the U.S. as soon as possible.

For more, read the full 9to5Mac report.

To understand the original patent infringement lawsuit against Apple that was filed by Masimo, read Patently Apple's full legal report dating back in January 2020. Apple counter sued Masimo with two court filings in October 2022 (01 and 02).