Apple Heart Monitor Antitrust Case Faces Question of Necessity

The Ninth Circuit’s decision to revive an antitrust lawsuit alleging Apple Inc. illegally blocked medical device company AliveCor Inc.'s heart rhythm app on the Apple Watch will likely hinge on whether changes were necessary to improve its product for consumers.

The three-judge panel for the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit took attorneys for both parties well beyond their allotted argument time as they grappled with how to properly apply antitrust legal precedent concerning changes in product design.

At issue is whether Apple’s changes that prevented the Apple Watch’s heart rate monitor from being utilized by third-party developers ...