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Could a small Firm Halt Imports of Major Wearable Brands?
UnaliWear alleges Apple, Garmin, Google, and samsung infringe on its patents for fall detection.
- UnaliWear alleges Apple, Garmin, Google, and samsung infringe on its patents for fall detection.
- The ITC examination focuses on technology that minimizes false positive fall alerts.
- Similar patent disputes have previously led to import bans and feature removals for Apple products.
- A ruling in UnaliWear’s favor could result in licensing fees, feature removals, or import restrictions.
UnaliWear claims that fall detection features in devices made by these larger companies violate patents it holds. The company first announced its Kanega watch, a dedicated fall detection device with GPS and a hot-swappable battery, alongside a Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign in 2015. While fall detection isn’t new – Apple integrated the feature into the apple Watch Series 4 in 2018 – UnaliWear argues its patented technology is at the heart of how these devices accurately identify falls.
The core of the complaint revolves around patents covering the filtering of false positive fall detections generated by the motion detection hardware in wearables. According to a statement from the ITC, Apple, garmin, Google, and Samsung are all implicated in the investigation and will be required to respond to the claims.
Apple’s Past Patent Troubles
This isn’t the first time Apple has faced scrutiny over patented technology in its Apple Watch. In 2020,Masimo accused Apple of incorporating its patented blood oxygen reading technology into the Apple Watch. This resulted in an import ban, prompting Apple to temporarily remove the feature for U.S. buyers to resume sales.
Pulse oximetry functionality only returned in August 2025, but Apple circumvented the patent issue by refraining from displaying the readings directly on the watch screen. Later,in November 2025,a California court ordered Apple to pay Masimo $634 million,a decision Apple intends to appeal.
Other companies have also run afoul of the ITC. Ultrahuman and RingConn are currently subject to import bans after being found to have infringed on smart ring design patents owned by Oura.
If the ITC sides with UnaliWear, the implications could be meaningful. Companies like Apple, Samsung, Garmin, and Google might be compelled to pay licensing fees for the patented technology, remove fall detection from existing models, or even face restrictions on importing wearables into the United States.
