Oura sues rival Ultrahuman again, threatening its U.S. smart ring comeback

Smart ringing shaper Oura has sued Indian rival Ultrahuman again, seeking to artifact U.S. income of its Ring Pro (pictured above) conscionable months aft the redesign helped the Bengaluru-based startup instrumentality to the American marketplace pursuing an import ban. The lawsuit is the latest successful a drawstring of patent disputes Oura has brought against competing smart-ring makers, including Samsung and RingConn.

In a ailment filed Thursday successful a national tribunal successful Texas, Oura alleged that Ultrahuman’s Ring Pro infringes 2 of its patents covering the ring’s plan and interior components, including its artillery and sensors. Oura is seeking monetary damages and a imperishable injunction that would halt Ultrahuman from selling the ring.

Ultrahuman’s redesigned Ring Pro, launched successful February, received a favorable ruling from U.S. Customs and Border Protection successful March, paving the mode for the startup’s return to the U.S. market. The determination followed an import ban connected Ultrahuman’s earlier Ring Air, which took effect aft Oura secured a patent infringement ruling from the International Trade Commission successful August past year.

“Ultrahuman has a past of copying Oura’s innovations, arsenic demonstrated by the 2025 ITC ruling against the company,” an Oura spokesperson said successful a connection to TechCrunch. “Ultrahuman introduced a redesigned ringing but failed to code continued infringement of Oura’s patents, seeking alternatively to capitalize connected our innovation and the marketplace enactment we person built.”

Oura argues that the Customs ruling covered lone the patent progressive successful the earlier dispute, not the 2 patents cited successful its latest lawsuit: D804,471 and 12,769,363. “To support its patent rights, Oura is present forced to record this ailment of patent infringement,” the institution said successful its filing.

One of those patents, 12,769,363, is besides precise new. It was issued to Oura connected October 20, conscionable 2 days earlier it filed the lawsuit. It covers a smart-ring plan incorporating interior components specified arsenic a curved battery, circuit board, magnets, and sensors.

Oura has besides named Texas-based electronics shaper SVTronics arsenic a suspect successful the lawsuit. The ailment says SVTronics manufactures the Ring Pro astatine a installation successful Plano, Texas, allegedly nether Ultrahuman’s absorption and control. It besides alleges that some companies infringe Oura’s patents done the manufacture, importation, and merchantability of the instrumentality successful the U.S.

Oura and Ultrahuman person been warring implicit patents since 2023, erstwhile Oura sued the Indian startup implicit its Ring Air, which had helped Ultrahuman marque a sanction for itself successful the U.S. Oura brought a abstracted lawsuit earlier the U.S. International Trade Commission successful 2024 that helped it unafraid a ruling past year, starring to the import prohibition connected the Ring Air.

Ultrahuman is not the lone rival facing ineligible unit from Oura. The institution has besides pursued patent infringement claims against smart-ring makers including Samsung, RingConn, Circular, and Zepp Health. Some of those disputes person ended successful licensing agreements, with RingConn and Circular agreeing to wage royalties to Oura to continue selling their products.

The quality emerges arsenic the smart-ring marketplace continues to grow. Research steadfast IDC expects planetary shipments to emergence 12.8% this twelvemonth to 4.9 cardinal units and scope astir 6.3 cardinal by 2030. While Oura remains a starring subordinate successful the category, Ultrahuman is among the increasing competitors.

The suit besides comes conscionable weeks aft Oura shelved its $2.2 cardinal IPO, citing “uncertainty” successful the market. The institution has continued to adhd features to its astute rings, introducing caller fittingness metrics earlier this week that assistance users way however workouts impact their cardiovascular health.

In September, Ultrahuman raised $70 million from investors including Qualcomm Ventures and Labcorp, valuing the startup astatine astir $365 million. The startup is besides moving with Qualcomm connected a caller astute ringing that could tally much bundle straight connected the device, arsenic it looks to grow beyond wellness and fittingness tracking into areas specified arsenic AI interactions and gaming.

Ultrahuman did not respond to a petition for comment.