In a significant development in the escalating smart ring showdown, wellness tech pioneer Oura has emerged with an early legal win against Indian competitor Ultrahuman and Chinese manufacturer RingConn. The dispute centers on a critical patent tied to the internal architecture of smart rings—a blueprint Oura claims gives it a unique competitive edge in a growing market.
Following a complaint filed with the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC), an administrative law judge sided with Oura, validating its 2023 patent that outlines the internal configuration of sensors, batteries, and housing components within a ring-shaped wearable. The ruling also sharply criticized Ultrahuman for allegedly falsifying evidence regarding its U.S. business operations.
Oura, headquartered in Finland, maintains that its patented design is the result of years of research and innovation. The company believes that the structural arrangement of components in its smart ring is not only novel but core to its performance and user experience.
Ultrahuman, for its part, is pushing back. The company contends that the patent is excessively broad, relying on readily available, off-the-shelf parts that have long existed in other devices. It is actively working to challenge the validity of Oura’s claims.
This isn’t Oura’s first clash in the courtroom. The company previously settled a licensing agreement with France-based Circular, and successfully defended against a lawsuit brought by Samsung earlier this year, which was dismissed for lack of merit.
As the wearables market continues to surge—with smart rings increasingly seen as the next evolution in personal health monitoring—the legal skirmishes underscore a deeper race: not just for market share, but for ownership of the very form factor that defines the product category.
The future of smart rings may be worn on your finger, but the real fight is being waged behind closed doors—in the courtrooms where design rights and intellectual property are setting the rules of engagement.
Source: https://insider.fitt.co/oura-ultrahuman-feud-over-smart-ring-patent/