Apple Beats AliveCor Lawsuit Regarding Heart-Rate Tech

(RTTNews) - US District Judge Jeffrey White dismissed a lawsuit filed by AliveCor, a startup backed by Khosla Ventures LLC, against Apple Inc. (AAPL) regarding heart-rate monitoring technology present in the Apple Watch.

The lawsuit accused Apple of violating both the federal Sherman antitrust law and a California unfair competition law. AliveCor had contended that Apple's modifications to its WatchOS software's heart rate algorithm were anti-competitive and had negatively impacted the performance of its heart rate analysis application.

However, Apple had maintained that the lawsuit challenged its ability to improve the Apple Watch, which was relied on by both consumers and developers. Apple had stated that it aimed to develop a superior algorithm for its workout technology and use that software for the benefit of consumers and developers without charging exorbitant prices or deriving excessive profits.

The reason behind the court's decision to dismiss the lawsuit is still undisclosed, but a redacted version of the filing is expected to be made public in the upcoming weeks.

The dispute had arisen from a 2015 meeting where AliveCor's co-founder, David Albert, had demonstrated his heart-monitoring device, the KardiaBand, to Apple executives. AliveCor had claimed that during the meeting, Apple had indicated its intent to collaborate on the technology. However, Apple had argued that the meeting was just like several others held with developers over the years, with no indication of any partnership.

AliveCor has announced that it plans to challenge the ruling.