It is not yet over for Apple’s patent dispute with medical device maker Masimo, even though the Apple Watch is back on the market. The Wall Street Journal recently interviewed Masimo CEO Joe Kiani about his determination to fight Apple until the end: “No one is standing up to them. If I can do it, it might change Apple for the better.”
Joe Kiani, the head of Masimo, has spent over $100 million fighting Apple in court so far. His company only made $144 million total last year. Many friends warned Joe that challenging Apple was too risky. “Apple has way more money,” they said.
But Joe has experience winning big legal battles. In 2006, he spent 7 years proving another company stole his inventions for medical devices. Masimo got almost $800 million from that case. In 2016, Royal Philips also had to pay Masimo $300 million for copying their work.
So far Apple has not seriously talked about settling the case with Masimo. Joe said Masimo is open to ending it, but “it takes two to agree.” Joe feels he needs to continue fighting. “If I can change how the biggest company acts, that helps more people than anything else I do,” he said.
Joe isn’t giving up on his goal of making Apple change, even if it costs his company a lot. His determination could still impact Apple, whenever their legal battle finally ends. This is a story worth following to see if one company can really take on a giant like Apple.
