Masimo CEO Kiani is rolling the dice looking to win a big settlement and licensing fee from Apple،
Kiani says someone needs to stand up to Apple
The pulse oximeter measures the oxygen saturation carried in a person's red blood cells and should be between 95% and 100%. A reading below 95% means the person has low oxygen levels, i.e. hypoxemia, and may need supplemental oxygen. It could also indicate a problem with a person's lungs.
Get your blood oxygen reading on Apple Watch
Why is Kiani willing to spend so much of Masimo's money on this particular matter? His response was: “No one stands up to them. If I can do it, it might change Apple for the better. The response also makes Kiani look like a martyr willing to take such a big financial hit just to teach Apple a lesson.
With the exclusion order suspended for now, Apple has also reportedly developed an alternative method for the Apple Watch to measure the oxygen level in a wearer's blood. Apple has reportedly submitted the changes to US customs with a decision set for January 12. If the agency agrees that the changes mean Apple is no longer infringing Masimo's patents, Apple will be allowed to ship affected watches with the changes.
Kiani has collected more than $2 billion in previous patent infringement cases dating back to 2006
Although this battle with Apple could take many more years to resolve, Kiani has already shown patience and determination. In 2006, Kiani won a patent dispute with rival pulse oximeter maker Nellcor and collected nearly $800 million in damages and royalties. In another patent infringement case from 2016, Masimo collected $300 million from Royal Philips and got another $1 billion in licensing fees.
Kiani may appear to have altruistic motivations for taking on Apple. “I feel like I have to do this. If I can stop the most powerful company in the world from continuing to do bad things, that will have more impact on the world than anything else I do,” he says . But as previous cases against Nellcor and Royal Philips prove, he's not against rolling the dice and spending $100 million with the possibility of adding $1 billion or more to the company's coffers .