Oura sues Samsung and four other smart ring makes as it demands royalty payments
Oura has sued four new smart ring rivals, including Samsung, for unlawful importation and sale of products that infringe on several of Oura’s patents. According to the company’s blog post, these legal actions against Zepp Health, Reebok, and Nexxbase Marketing are based on the same patents Oura successfully leveraged in the U.S. International Trade Commission case against Ultrahuman and Ringconn to demand sales bans on their products.
The company also filed another complaint against Samsung in the U.S. District Court last month to protect its rights following what it describes as unprovoked attacks on its patent portfolio. The controversy centers on Oura's patents for positioning electronic components such as batteries, flexible printed circuit boards, and sensors between the inner and outer layers of a ring.
Competing brands argue this configuration is practically unavoidable because curved components are necessary to allow a smart ring to remain slim. Oura maintains that while innovation moves the category forward, competitors must uphold standards of originality and respect for intellectual property. The company uses these ITC lawsuits to compel rivals into licensing agreements where they make royalty payments to continue selling their products in the U.S..
Circular, Ringconn, and OMATE have already agreed to these terms, and Oura suggests this royalty-based license is the best path forward for Samsung, Zepp, Reebok, and Noise to bring compliant products to market. Conversely, Ultrahuman refused the licensing terms and is currently appealing a cease-and-desist order against its U.S. sales. Samsung actually countersued Oura last year, claiming that Oura's pattern of indiscriminate patent assertion posed an imminent risk to its operations. A U.S. federal judge dismissed that lawsuit in early 2025 because Oura had not yet directed specific threats at Samsung, but this recent filing appears to validate Samsung's initial concerns regarding Oura's intent.
Samsung has previously stated that Oura's patents are unreasonably broad because they claim ownership of features common to virtually all smart rings, such as the inclusion of sensors and electronics. It remains to be seen if Samsung will attempt to invalidate these patents entirely rather than paying the fees that smaller brands like Zepp Health and Reebok might be forced to accept to avoid the threat of a sales ban.
