Oura Is Suing More Smart Ring Makers.
Just a few months ago, Oura won a lawsuit against competing smart ring makers Ultrahuman and RingConn . Now, they have filed lawsuits against four more companies—the makers of the Samsung Galaxy Ring , Reebok Smart Ring , Amazfit Helio Ring , and Luna Ring .
Oura announced on its website that it had filed a complaint with the ITC against these four companies. The ITC is the US International Trade Commission, and Oura claims its complaint concerns “the illegal importation and sale of products that infringe several of Oura’s patents.”
Oura’s previous victory over Ultrahuman and RingConn resulted in a ruling requiring these companies to cease sales and imports of their smart rings. RingConn ultimately entered into an agreement with Oura to license its patents and continue selling the rings. Circular and Omate entered into similar agreements with Oura.
Ultrahuman no longer sells its rings in the US , but is working on a new design that will circumvent the alleged patent infringement. You can read Ultrahuman’s position on this issue in this blog post , which also includes a promise to continue supporting the rings they have already sold or that are available for purchase from resellers.
The rings mentioned in the recent complaint should remain available for some time. Oura writes on its blog: “So what next? The ITC process will end.” There’s no guarantee Oura will win the case, though the fact that they’ve secured such a significant judgment against other companies suggests it’s not entirely unlikely.
While Oura uses phrases like “respect for intellectual property” (i.e., intellectual property) in its communications on this issue, as a consumer and reviewer, it’s disheartening to see an exciting technology field become controlled by a single player or, worse, gradually shut down by that player. I’m working on a review of the Luna ring, which, as I’ve noted before, has significant potential advantages over other rings on the market. I hope the smart ring category continues to grow.