AliveCor’s latest attempt to revive its Apple Watch antitrust case fell short this week, with a federal appeals court handing Apple another win, reports 9to5Mac.
In a decision filed January 8, 2026, the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit affirmed summary judgment in favor of Apple, rejecting AliveCor’s claim that Apple illegally monopolized the market for heart rhythm analysis apps on Apple Watch.
This follows a March 2025 ruling by a federal appeals court that confirmed he invalidation of three patents that AliveCor claimed Apple violated with the Apple Watch. The court vacated an ITC ruling that could have led to an Apple Watch import ban.
What’s more, in July 2024, a filing from the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) said Apple isn’t violating any AliveCor patents in Apple Watch models with redesigned ECGs. Therefore, those models aren’t under the International Trade Commission’s (ITC) Limited Exclusion Order (LEO).
AliveCor claims Apple infringes on patents regarding its ECG “KardiaBand” (pictured) designed for the Apple Watch, among other ECG-focused products. Following its December 2020 filing of a lawsuit against Apple over patent infringement, AliveCor also took its case to the ITC in April 2021. In June the ITC judge backed AliveCor, and has recommended that the ITC undertake a review of the case.
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