American multinational tech mogul, Apple, has been entangled in a legal battle against Masimo, a pulse oximetry company. On a recent Monday, a U.S. District Court judge declared a mistrial. The jury that was deliberating on the trade secrets case was reportedly unable to reach a verdict.
A unanimous verdict was required in the case. As it stands, six of the jurors sided with Apple. One juror, however, staunchly supported Masimo and refused to change her vote. The jurors sent a note to the judge asking for guidance as they were unsure how to resolve the issue. The judge considered delaying the verdict overnight, but the jurors insisted their votes would remain the same, so the judge declared a mistrial instead.
6 jurors voted that Apple did not steal Masimo’s trade secrets
Before the mistrial was declared, Apple and Masimo were litigating a trade secrets issue. Specifically, Apple was accused of poaching Masimo employees and obtaining trade secret information from them to develop a new product, the Apple Watch. There was a lot at stake for Apple as Masimo was seeking close to $2 billion in damage, as well as the co-ownership of five Apple patents. Masimo claimed that the patents were developed using its technology.
Masimo has publicly stated that the mistrial will not keep the company from pursuing legal redress against Apple. Litigation involving trade secrets is a complex area of law and, as made evident in this case, often difficult to resolve. An intellectual property law attorney can protect a client’s interests and increase the chances of obtaining a favorable outcome in court.