US doctor files lawsuit against Apple, says company violating his patent

A US-based cardiologist Dr Joseph Wiesel filed a lawsuit against Tech giant Apple based on allegations that the company had violated his patent regarding the technology used in Apple's smartwatches to detect Atrial Fibrillation. According to reports, Wiesel said that he was officially given the patent in the year 2006 for devising a method for detecting Atrial Fibrillation (Afib). The method enabled the patients to use photoplethysmography that is used in smartwatches with sensors and green lights.

Doctor says actions by Apple deliberate

The Lawsuit filed by Wiesel stated that the Tim Cook led company had refused to negotiate terms even after the Plaintiff had given the defendant detailed charts showcasing the parts of Plaintiff's claims on his patent and using the patents in the watches. According to reports, Wiesel asked for royalties, and monetary recovery of damages inflicted by Apple and he said that the actions by the tech giant were deliberate. Wiesel also said that he had informed Apple about his patent in the year 2017 when Apple Watch Series 3 was released in the market.

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'Smart' feature to save lives

Apple Watch Series 4 and the editions after that have electrodes embedded into the back crystal and digital crown that work together in accordance with an ECG application to give the people wearing the watches a chance to take an ECG that is similar to a single-lead reading. Apple Smart Watches do not give a definite result into whether someone is from the issue of (AFib). In order to take an ECG reading on the watch, people have to hold their finger on the watch's digital crown and as soon as the user touches the digital crown, the circuit gets completed and electric signals across the heart are measured.

The irregular notification feature of the Apple smartwatch was recently analysed and studied in the Apple Heart Study. The Apple Heart Study has more than 4,00,000 people participating and it was also the biggest study on (AFib). However, the number of people suffering from atrial fibrillation is not known, reports suggest that over one per cent of the adult population is affected by it.

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(With inputs from agencies)