Oura sues to block Ultrahuman ring sales in US

Oura wants US buyers to stop purchasing the Ultrahuman Ring Pro. The Finnish wearable maker filed a new lawsuit in federal court in Texas on Thursday. The legal action targets the Ring Pro, a product Ultrahuman launched after a previous model was banned from US shelves. The company also named SVTronics, the Plano, Texas, factory that assembles the device, as a co-defendant.

Oura seeks monetary damages and an injunction to halt US sales of the new ring. The complaint alleges the Ring Pro infringes two specific patents held by Oura. These patents cover the ring's overall design and its internal components, including the housing and battery placement.

The legal dispute began last year when the US International Trade Commission ruled that the older Ring Air violated several Oura patents. That ruling forced Ultrahuman to pull the Ring Air from the American market, though it remains sold in Europe and other regions. Ultrahuman, based in India, subsequently redesigned the device to create the Ring Pro.

Ultrahuman stated that the Ring Pro was engineered to avoid Oura's intellectual property in the US. Earlier this year, US Customs and Border Protection approved the redesign. The agency concluded the new model did not infringe the specific patent examined in that earlier proceeding. Oura disputes this assessment, arguing the changes were not enough to clear its patents.

"After it was found to be infringing Oura patents, Ultrahuman recently introduced a modified version of its ring, claiming its redesign no longer infringed our patents. That claim is false," Oura wrote in a blog post. The company added that the Ring Pro still incorporates many of its patented innovations.

One of the patents at the center of this new suit, number 12,769,363, was granted only two days before the complaint was filed. The patent broadly covers a smart ring design featuring specific internal components. Ultrahuman says it will contest the action and keep the Ring Pro on sale in the US.

A spokesperson for Ultrahuman noted that the redesign has already been through independent review in the United States. The company argues Oura has now chosen to assert different patents to challenge the device. "We will defend our position vigorously," the spokesperson said. This filing adds to a busy legal calendar for Oura, which is also involved in a prolonged patent fight with Samsung and recently announced a partnership with the US military.