Key takeaways
- Oura sued Ultrahuman and its Texas manufacturer SVTronics on October 22, claiming the Ring Pro infringes two patents.
- One of the patents was issued to Oura just two days before the lawsuit was filed, according to TechCrunch.
- Ultrahuman says no court order affects the Ring Pro and it remains available to US buyers.
Oura has sued Ultrahuman again, and this time the target is the Ring Pro, the redesigned smart ring Ultrahuman built to get back into the US market after losing a patent fight last year. The new Oura Ultrahuman lawsuit, filed Thursday, October 22, in a federal court in Texas, asks for money damages and a permanent injunction that would stop US sales of the Ring Pro. If you own one, or were planning to buy one this holiday season, here is what the case means and what you can do right now.
What happened
According to TechCrunch, Oura's complaint says the Ultrahuman Ring Pro infringes two patents. The first is a design patent, D804,471. The second is a utility patent, 12,769,363, which covers internal parts of a smart ring, including the curved battery, the circuit board, charging magnets and the sensors that track temperature, motion and heart rate.
The timing of that second patent stands out. TechCrunch reports it was issued to Oura on October 20, just two days before the lawsuit landed. Engadget describes it as a patent that appears to broadly cover a smart ring design, which is part of why the case has drawn so much attention from wearable fans this week.
Oura also named a second defendant, SVTronics. According to the complaint, as reported by TechCrunch, SVTronics builds the Ring Pro in Plano, Texas, under Ultrahuman's direction. That detail matters because a ring assembled in Texas is not stopped at the border by an import ban, so Oura needs a court order to block it.
Why this is round two
The two companies have been fighting since 2023. The big turning point came in August 2025, when the US International Trade Commission ruled that Ultrahuman's Ring Air violated several Oura patents. That ruling led to a ban on importing the Ring Air into the US. It is still sold in Europe and other markets, Engadget notes, but American shoppers lost access to it.
Ultrahuman responded by redesigning its ring. The Ring Pro launched in February, and in March it received a favorable ruling from US Customs and Border Protection, which cleared the way for US sales. Ultrahuman has presented the Ring Pro as a fresh design that no longer uses the features at issue in the ITC case.
Oura disagrees. In a blog post quoted by Engadget, the company said Ultrahuman's claim that the new ring avoids its patents "is false," adding that the "latest ring still incorporates many of Oura's patented innovations and continues to infringe our intellectual property." An Oura spokesperson told TechCrunch that "Ultrahuman has a history of copying Oura's innovations, as demonstrated by the 2025 ITC ruling against the company."
Ultrahuman pushes back
Ultrahuman co-founder and CEO Mohit Kumar told TechCrunch that "Oura has now chosen to assert different patents, including one that issued just two days before this lawsuit was filed." He said the company will "defend our position vigorously" and stressed that "there is no court order affecting Ring Pro, and it remains available to customers in the U.S."
That last point is the most important one for buyers today. A lawsuit is not a ban. Until a judge grants an injunction, the Ring Pro stays on sale.
Who is affected by the Oura Ultrahuman lawsuit
Current Ring Pro owners
If you already own a Ring Pro, nothing changes today. Your ring keeps tracking sleep, activity and heart rate, and the app keeps working. Patent cases like this one usually take a long time to reach a final ruling, and even when sales are blocked, past buyers typically keep using what they bought. Keep your receipt and warranty details handy in case support or replacement policies shift later.
People shopping for a smart ring
If you are comparing rings right now, the case adds some uncertainty to the Ultrahuman option. The Ring Pro is legal to buy in the US today. But if Oura wins an injunction, future sales, replacements and warranty swaps could get complicated. The5krunner notes that the Oura Ring 5 is not part of this dispute, so buying Oura carries no legal risk of this kind.
Smart rings are also not the only option. Wrist trackers have gotten cheaper and smarter, as we covered in our look at the Fitbit Edge launch and Amazon's new Bee AI wearables. Those devices sit outside this fight entirely.
The wider smart ring market
Oura has been aggressive about its patents. TechCrunch reports it has also gone after Samsung, RingConn, Circular and Zepp Health. RingConn and Circular agreed to pay royalties, and Oura's disputes with Samsung are still ongoing, according to Engadget. Every new ring maker now has to plan around Oura's patent portfolio.
The money behind the fight
Both companies have a lot riding on the US market. TechCrunch reports that Oura shelved a planned $2.2 billion IPO in September, citing market uncertainty. Ultrahuman raised $70 million that same month in a round led by Qualcomm Ventures and Labcorp, at a valuation of about $365 million.
The category is still growing, which raises the stakes. IDC expects global smart ring shipments to climb 12.8% this year to 4.9 million units, according to TechCrunch. That is small next to phones and watches, but it is one of the few gadget segments still growing at a time when, as we reported, smartphone shipments fell to a 14 year low.
Consolidation is another theme across consumer hardware this fall. Bose's purchase of a major rival, covered in Bose buys Skullcandy, shows how quickly the competitive map can change. In smart rings, the courts may end up doing some of that reshaping.
What to do if you are thinking about buying
Here is a practical approach for the next few weeks:
- Buy from a retailer with a solid return window. If anything changes, you want an easy way out.
- Check subscription costs. Ultrahuman and Oura price their apps differently, so compare the full cost over two years, not just the ring.
- Do not panic sell. If you already own a Ring Pro, there is no reason to dump it while the case is pending.
- Watch for injunction news. A request for a preliminary injunction, if Oura files one, would be the signal that sales could be affected sooner.
What to watch next
The next steps are procedural. Ultrahuman and SVTronics will file their response, and Ultrahuman is likely to challenge the newly issued patent. The5krunner reports the case is in the US District Court for the Eastern District of Texas, a venue known for handling a large number of patent suits.
The bigger question is whether Oura asks for faster relief. A permanent injunction only comes at the end of a case. If Oura seeks a preliminary order, the Ring Pro's US future could be decided much sooner. For more gadget coverage, visit our gadgets section.
Frequently asked questions
Can I still buy the Ultrahuman Ring Pro in the US?
Yes. Ultrahuman CEO Mohit Kumar told TechCrunch there is no court order affecting the Ring Pro and it remains available to US customers.
What patents does Oura say the Ring Pro infringes?
According to TechCrunch, Oura cites design patent D804,471 and utility patent 12,769,363, which covers internal parts like the curved battery, circuit board, magnets and sensors.
Will my Ring Pro stop working if Oura wins?
A sales injunction usually targets new sales and imports, not devices people already own. Nothing in the reporting so far suggests existing rings would be disabled.
Is the Oura Ring 5 affected by this case?
No. The5krunner reports that the Oura Ring 5 is not part of the dispute.
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