One of the Apple Watch’s marquee additions in watchOS 3, Emergency SOS, was actually stolen from a former supplier named Zomm, the company claims. In a new lawsuit spotted by Patently Apple, Zomm says that it developed and patented the SOS feature to make calling local emergency services as easy as holding down a remote device’s button, but after getting “close enough to Zomm to steal the company’s technology,” Apple used it in the Apple Watch without a license.
Zomm’s complaint includes a recitation of details that will unfortunately be familiar to long-time Apple watchers. The small company says that it was spotted by Apple after a successful 2010 CES unveiling of its Wireless Leash, a Bluetooth puck designed to help users keep their smartphones nearby. Apple contacted Zomm to request an Apple Store-exclusive iPhone version of the accessory, and Zomm agreed.
After entering into a confidentiality agreement with Apple, Zomm went to work on the iPhone-specific Wireless Leash Plus, telling Apple it was planning watch, bracelet, and other wearable models. It also revealed a patent-pending feature that — after holding down a Wireless Leash button for three seconds — automatically dialed local emergency services from anywhere in the world, without the user having to touch the phone.
Above: Zomm’s original Wireless Leash.
According to Zomm, the Wireless Leash Plus sold well but made little money for the company, due to unfavorable terms with Apple. Months after Zomm debuted an emergency dialing-focused product called Lifestyle Connect at the 2012 CES, Apple terminated the Wireless Leash Plus agreement for its retail stores. But it began placing orders for multiple units to be sent to “senior leaders, developers and scientists at Apple.” Suspicious of the orders, Zomm says that it reached out to inform Apple executives that it had successfully patented the emergency services feature and asked if the companies could work together, but received no response.
June 5th: The AI Audit in NYC
Join us next week in NYC to engage with top executive leaders, delving into strategies for auditing AI models to ensure fairness, optimal performance, and ethical compliance across diverse organizations. Secure your attendance for this exclusive invite-only event.
In June 2016, Apple revealed that it would be adding an “SOS” feature to the Apple Watch in watchOS 3, including the same functionality described in Zomm’s patent — and covered by the confidentiality agreement between the companies. Zomm notes that the feature wasn’t called “Emergency 911” because, like Zomm’s patent, the functionality correctly determines the user’s local emergency services number in any country before dialing the phone.
Zomm is requesting compensatory damages for both the patent infringement and unfair competition, as well as injunctive relief and attorneys’ fees. The case was originally filed in the Southern District of New York, but has been refiled in San Francisco, California’s Northern District court.
