- Tech company UnaliWear sues Apple, Google, Garmin and Samsung
- The problem is the use of fall detection technology on some of the best smartwatches.
- If UnaliWear wins, the consequences could be enormous for the industry.
Fall detection is a key feature of many of the best smartwatches, including the Apple Watch and models from Garmin, Samsung and Google’s Fitbit. Yet its future on your device could be in jeopardy as one company claims all of these devices have illegally copied its trip and fall technology. If it prevails, the smartwatch industry could look very different.
The issue concerns the aforementioned fall detection technology, which wearable company UnaliWear claims infringes its patents. UnaliWear makes wearable devices for seniors, with these products featuring a fall detection system called RealFall that it says can distinguish between actual falls and everyday movement.
It is this ability to differentiate between real falls and false alarms that is at the heart of the dispute. UnaliWear claims that the wearable devices it took issue with – those from Apple, Google, Garmin and Samsung – infringed on its patents in order to solve a specific problem.
Currently, the matter is under investigation by the U.S. International Trade Commission, and responses from affected companies are expected by approximately the end of January. The case is expected to take more than a year, but could have far-reaching consequences once it is completed.
On the one hand, if UnaliWear is successful, it could seek a limited exclusion order. This would block the importation of affected smartwatches into the United States, leaving Apple and Garmin unable to ship some of the most popular smartwatches to American customers. Additionally, UnaliWear has filed complaints in several U.S. district courts – if successful, it could result in massive financial penalties.
How likely is a ban?
Ultimately, it is unlikely that the Apple Watch or Samsung Galaxy Watch will be banned from import into the United States.
A more likely option is that big players may have to license their fall detection technology from UnaliWear. Or they could create a workaround or alternative solution that wouldn’t infringe UnaliWear’s patents, as Apple did when its blood oxygen sensor was found to have overstepped patents owned by medical technology company Masimo.
Speaking of which, the Masimo case demonstrates that this isn’t the first time Apple has been sued by a small company over the technology it uses in its Apple Watch. In the Masimo case, certain Apple Watch models were banned from import into the United States, which meant that Apple had to disable this feature for American customers – a significant headache for the Cupertino company.
There’s no doubt that Apple – as well as Samsung, Google and Garmin – will want to avoid anything so drastic this time around. If you’re interested in any of these smartwatches and want to know if you’ll still be able to purchase one in the future, keep an eye out for this deal.
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