Samsung’s lawsuit towards Oura has been dismissed with out prejudice in U.S. District Court docket. Whereas federal choose Araceli Martínez-Olguín gave Samsung till late April to file an amended grievance, there is not a lot authorized leeway. And this ruling is a reminder that Samsung apart, the sensible ring business stays in authorized limbo at the same time as issues seem regular.
Final summer time, Samsung preemptively sued Oura, arguing that “Oura’s sample of indiscriminate assertion of patent infringement” towards sensible ring manufacturers like Ultrahuman, Round, and RingConn was an “precise, imminent threat to Samsung” and the upcoming Galaxy Ring.
The March 27 ruling — noticed by ip fray‘s Florian Mueller and shared with Android Central — exhibits Martínez-Olguín argue that Oura’s normal statements about implementing its patents “weren’t directed at Samsung” and “don’t reveal a chance or intent to implement Oura’s patents towards Samsung.”
Oura solely reserved the fitting to “take the motion that is acceptable.” It could determine meaning suing Samsung, however Samsung lacks standing to argue future hurt to its enterprise with out something concrete.
Samsung can refile the swimsuit, however solely with “allegations that predate the submitting of the preliminary grievance,” and we do not know of any overt threats Oura made towards Samsung earlier than or after the Galaxy Ring launch.
Mueller argues in his evaluation that Samsung’s lawsuit efficiently hampered Oura’s authorized motion till a few of its patents have been “rendered moot” resulting from statutory limitations. He additionally believes Samsung could attempt to amend its grievance or attraction the dismissal, even with out a “smoking gun,” to forestall Oura from suing in one other district like East Texas.
Samsung’s stalling gambit has given the Galaxy Ring virtually a yr of unimpeded gross sales. But when this ruling ultimately clears the way in which for Oura to sue, it might intrude with the hypothetical Galaxy Ring 2 or later fashions.
After all, as this ruling states, there is no proof that Oura will sue Samsung after this. And we’re nonetheless ready to see how the opposite prime sensible ring manufacturers will fare in their very own Oura patent infringement lawsuits. We have reached out to Samsung for touch upon this ruling and can replace the submit if we hear again.
It is Oura versus the sensible ring world
In March 2024, Oura filed an Worldwide Commerce Fee (ITC) motion towards Round, RingConn, and Ultrahuman, stating that they had “no selection” however to legally problem manufacturers that “imitate and journey the coattails of our innovation” by patent infringement.
A month later, the ITC introduced a Part 337 investigation, indicating Oura had requested for a “restricted exclusion order and stop and desist orders” that might basically ban these manufacturers from sale in the US.
A yr later, the investigation web page nonetheless exhibits as “Pending earlier than the Administrative Regulation Choose,” with the latest discover in December 2024 indicating that sure elements of the case are nonetheless being amended. There is no method to know the way lengthy it will take or how the change in U.S. administration will have an effect on the ruling, however the case hasn’t gone away.
Frankly, it is simple to neglect how fragile the sensible ring business is at this second. Sensible ring gross sales have been underneath 1,000,000 in 2023 and will climb to 2.5 million in 2025, per IDC predictions shared with Android Central. The prime sensible ring manufacturers preserve releasing new fashions and indicators level to robust gross sales.
The Round Ring 2 is at $1.6 million and climbing for its Kickstarter, promising blood stress and glucose readings. Ultrahuman sells luxurious sensible rings and continually updates its Ring Air with new “Powerplug” options. RingConn launched its Gen 2 ring final yr and the Gen 2 Air this month.
Until you pay shut consideration to authorized filings, you’d don’t know that the sensible ring business might come to a crashing halt if Oura proves that the majority of its rivals infringe on its concepts.
And people concepts preserve coming! Whereas researching doable designs for the Oura Ring 5, I discovered dozens of Oura patents filed in 2025 alone and tons of extra earlier than that, starting from new one-size-fits-all design concepts to extra outlandish methods like unlocking or controlling your automobile along with your Oura Ring.
Samsung has its personal patented concepts for the Galaxy Ring 2, like an outer temperature sensor to detect when you’ve got a fever, gesture controls for different linked units like a laptop computer or pill, or a resizable design that’ll morph into your finger measurement.
It additionally has extra sources than startup manufacturers like Round and Ultrahuman, which might make it a harder opponent for Oura to battle within the courts. Nonetheless, even Apple needed to reckon with a possible watch recall over the Masimo blood oxygen patent dispute, and Samsung has already misplaced one authorized battle.
Finally, irrespective of which sensible ring model you put on or are thinking about, you could wish to pay shut consideration to Oura’s ITC case and the seemingly follow-up to Samsung’s counter-suit. The sensible ring authorized warfare ought to solely preserve heating up.
