Apple has a history of being involved in lawsuits. The Cupertino giant has been sued by other big companies and has itself sued major tech corporations in the past, including Samsung and Qualcomm, for reasons ranging from copying its design to copying its patented technologies. But there have also been times when someone from the general public has sued Apple.
Earlier this year, a US woman had sued Apple for what she claimed were "misguiding product images" on iPhone X boxes and other promotional material. And now, a New York doctor has sued the American tech giant for using his patented heartbeat monitoring technology in the Apple Watch.
Lawsuit filed in Brooklyn federal court
According to a Bloomberg report, a New York University cardiologist is seeking compensation from Apple for using what he says is his "patented heartbeat monitoring technology" in its smart wearable devices.
Dr Joseph Wiesel who teaches at the NYU School of Medicine filed a suit against Apple in a Brooklyn federal court, claiming that the Apple Watch infringes his patent for a method to detect irregular heartbeat.
Apple Watch's irregular heartbeat detection feature
The Apple Watch is the world's largest selling smartwatch and is known for its heart-rate monitoring, apart from other smartwatch functions. Apple promotes a feature in its Watch that can measure the wearer's heart rate and notify him whenever it detects an irregular pulse rate.
The doctor says that this was his idea and he had patented this method. He said his invention covered pioneering steps in atrial fibrillation detection by monitoring "irregular pulse rhythms from a succession of time intervals."
Doctor had contacted Apple about his patent
He claims he had contacted Apple regarding this in September 2017, and provided the company with details about his patent which the company was promoting on its upcoming Watch.
Dr Wiesel contends in this lawsuit that Apple has "refused to negotiate in good faith to avoid this lawsuit," and thus wants the court to order Apple to pay him royalties, and also block Apple from using his invention without his permission.
Meanwhile, Apple representatives did not respond when contacted by Bloomberg regarding this fresh suit against it. The Apple Watch is hailed as a life-saving piece of technology and the said heartbeat monitoring feature, in particular, has been in the news for alerting many wearers around the world whenever it detected an irregular pulse, prompting them to seek medical help.
