Oura sues to block ring sales

Oura has filed a lawsuit in Texas federal court seeking to halt US sales of Ultrahuman's Ring Pro. The complaint alleges the smart ring infringes two Oura patents related to design and internal components.

The legal conflict began last year when Oura defeated Ultrahuman in a previous case. The US International Trade Commission ruled that the older Ring Air model violated several Oura patents, resulting in a sales ban for that device in the United States.

Following that ruling, Ultrahuman redesigned its product to avoid the specific intellectual property claims. The new Ring Pro received approval from US Customs and Border Protection earlier this year, allowing it to enter the American market.

Oura now argues the redesign was insufficient to clear the patents. A company blog post states, "That claim is false," referring to Ultrahuman's assertion that the new design no longer infringed. Oura adds that the device "still incorporates many of Oura's patented innovations."

The suit names SVTronics as a second defendant. The Plano, Texas-based plant manufactures the Ring Pro for the US market under Ultrahuman's direction. One of the patents cited in the filing was granted only two days before the lawsuit was submitted.

Ultrahuman says it will contest the action and that the Ring Pro remains on sale. A spokesperson told Engadget that the redesign "has already been through independent review in the United States." The company notes Customs and Border Protection previously found no infringement in an earlier proceeding.

The spokesperson stated that Oura "has now chosen to assert different patents, including one that issued just two days before this lawsuit was filed." Ultrahuman intends to "defend our position vigorously." Oura is simultaneously engaged in a patent dispute with Samsung and recently announced a partnership with the US military involving a Palantir hosting environment.