Nov 14 (Reuters) - The U.S. International Trade

Commission decided on Friday to hold a new proceeding to

determine whether imports of Apple's ( AAPL ) updated Apple

Watches should be banned as part of a patent dispute with

medical monitoring technology company Masimo ( MASI ).

The ITC said in an order that it would investigate whether Apple

Watches that were redesigned to circumvent a previous import ban

issued by the commission still infringe Masimo ( MASI ) patents covering

blood-oxygen measurement technology.

The commission set a target to finish the investigation within

six months. Spokespeople for Apple ( AAPL ) and Masimo ( MASI ) did not

immediately respond to requests for comment.

The case is part of a contentious, multi-front patent fight

between Apple ( AAPL ) and Masimo ( MASI ), an Irvine, California-based medical

monitoring technology company that has accused the tech giant of

hiring away its employees to steal its pulse-oximetry

innovations.

The commission blocked imports of Apple's ( AAPL ) Series 9 and Ultra 2

smartwatches in 2023 after finding that Masimo's ( MASI ) patents were

infringed. Apple ( AAPL ) removed blood-oxygen reading technology from

its watches to avoid the ban, but reintroduced an updated

version of the technology in August with approval from U.S.

Customs and Border Protection.

Masimo ( MASI ) has sued Customs over the approval, while Apple ( AAPL ) has

separately challenged the ITC's ban at a federal appeals court.

Masimo ( MASI ) separately sued Apple ( AAPL ) in California federal court for

patent infringement and trade-secret theft. A jury in Santa Ana

is now weighing Masimo's ( MASI ) allegations that Apple ( AAPL ) owes as much as

$749 million in damages for infringing Masimo's ( MASI ) patents.

A California judge declared a mistrial in Masimo's ( MASI ) trade-secret

case against Apple ( AAPL ) in 2023 after a jury failed to reach a

unanimous verdict. Apple ( AAPL ) won a minimal $250 verdict against

Masimo ( MASI ) in Delaware last year in a countersuit over allegations

that Masimo's ( MASI ) smartwatches infringe two Apple ( AAPL ) design patents.

(Reporting by Blake Brittain in Washington)