Smart ring pioneer Oura has filed a fresh patent infringement lawsuit against Indian hardware rival Ultrahuman, seeking to halt U.S. sales of its flagship Ring Pro just months after the device cleared regulatory hurdles to enter the American market. The legal action, filed in a federal court in Texas, marks the latest escalation in an ongoing battle over intellectual property in the rapidly growing smart ring sector. By targeting both Ultrahuman and its Texas-based contract manufacturer, Oura is attempting to cut off domestic supply lines and secure a permanent injunction against one of its most persistent competitors.
The lawsuit represents a critical test for Ultrahuman, a Bengaluru-based startup that recently restructured its hardware and supply chain to bypass an earlier import ban imposed by the U.S. International Trade Commission. With Oura actively enforcing its intellectual property portfolio against multiple industry entrants, the outcome of this dispute could determine how much room competing hardware makers have to operate in the premium wearable space.
The allegations in Texas federal court
In its complaint, Oura alleges that Ultrahuman's Ring Pro infringes two specific patents covering physical design and internal hardware arrangements. The patents cited in the filing include design patent D804,471 alongside utility patent 12,769,363. The latter patent covers internal components essential to compact smart-ring engineering, including a curved battery, circuit boards, magnets, and biometric sensors.
Patent 12,769,363 was issued to Oura on October 20, just two days before the company submitted its complaint to the federal court. Oura contends that Ultrahuman did not resolve its underlying infringement issues when redesigning its hardware, stating in its filing: "To protect its patent rights, Oura is now forced to file this complaint of patent infringement."
In a statement explaining the filing, an Oura spokesperson asserted: "Ultrahuman has a history of copying Oura’s innovations, as demonstrated by the 2025 ITC ruling against the company. Ultrahuman introduced a redesigned ring but failed to address continued infringement of Oura’s patents, seeking instead to capitalize on our innovation and the market leadership we have built."
Beyond Ultrahuman itself, Oura has also named SVTronics, a Texas-based electronics manufacturing services provider, as a co-defendant. According to the complaint, SVTronics manufactures the Ring Pro at its facility in Plano, Texas, allegedly under Ultrahuman's direction and control. Oura claims that both companies are liable for patent infringement through the manufacture, domestic assembly, importation, and commercial sale of the device within the United States.
Ultrahuman vows to fight the complaint
Ultrahuman co-founder and chief executive officer Mohit Kumar dismissed Oura's claims and confirmed that the startup plans to contest the lawsuit vigorously in court.
"Oura has now chosen to assert different patents, including one that issued just two days before this lawsuit was filed," Kumar said. "We will address these claims through the appropriate legal process and will defend our position vigorously. There is no court order affecting Ring Pro, and it remains available to customers in the U.S."
The dispute follows a long-running legal contest between the two companies that began in 2023. Oura initially sued Ultrahuman over its earlier product, the Ring Air, which had gained traction among fitness enthusiasts and health-conscious consumers in North America. In August of last year, Oura secured an exclusion order from the International Trade Commission, which banned the importation of the Ring Air into the United States based on patent infringement findings.
In response to the ITC ban, Ultrahuman unveiled the redesigned Ring Pro in February. In March, U.S. Customs and Border Protection issued a favorable ruling determining that the Ring Pro was sufficiently modified to fall outside the scope of the ITC exclusion order. That regulatory determination allowed Ultrahuman to resume shipments and rebuild its retail and direct-to-consumer presence across the country.
Oura, however, argues that the Customs ruling was limited strictly to the single patent involved in the earlier ITC dispute. By asserting two separate patents in the Texas federal filing, Oura seeks to invalidate Ultrahuman's redesign defense and obtain both monetary damages and an outright sales injunction.
A broader pattern of wearable IP enforcement
The lawsuit against Ultrahuman is not an isolated legal skirmish. As major tech companies and specialized startups venture into finger-worn wearables, Oura has taken an increasingly aggressive approach to protecting the early technical ground it claimed over the last decade.
In recent years, Oura has asserted its patent rights against several prominent rivals across the industry:
- Samsung: Oura initiated legal actions against the South Korean tech giant surrounding the launch of the Galaxy Ring.
- RingConn: Oura filed patent claims against the competitor, eventually reaching a multi-year patent licensing agreement where RingConn agreed to pay ongoing royalties.
- Circular: The French wearable maker settled its litigation with Oura by agreeing to pay royalties to preserve its ability to sell smart rings in the U.S. market.
- Zepp Health: Oura has brought patent infringement claims against the fitness brand, adding another manufacturer to its legal docket.
These enforcement efforts highlight how Oura is using its patent estate both as a competitive barrier and as an alternative licensing revenue stream. While companies such as RingConn and Circular opted to settle and pay royalties, Ultrahuman has repeatedly pushed back, seeking technical workarounds and legal exoneration instead.
Rising stakes in an expanding smart ring market
The legal confrontation arrives during an important growth phase for the entire smart-ring category. According to market research firm IDC, worldwide smart ring shipments are projected to increase 12.8 percent this year to reach 4.9 million units, with annual volumes forecast to climb to approximately 6.3 million units by 2030.
Although Oura remains the market leader by shipments and brand recognition, consumer interest is attracting substantial capital into alternative ecosystems. In September, Ultrahuman completed a $70 million funding round backed by Qualcomm Ventures and Labcorp, valuing the Indian hardware startup at approximately $365 million.
Ultrahuman has also partnered with Qualcomm to build next-generation smart rings capable of processing more software directly on the hardware. The company plans to use this onboard processing power to push beyond standard sleep and heart-rate tracking into areas such as on-device artificial intelligence interactions and gaming applications.
Oura has experienced its own strategic shifts in recent months. The company recently postponed a planned $2.2 billion initial public offering, citing broader market volatility and economic uncertainty. At the same time, Oura has continued rolling out new software capabilities, including specialized cardiovascular health metrics designed to measure how physical workouts impact long-term heart health.
What to watch next
Because no temporary restraining order or preliminary injunction has been granted, Ultrahuman's Ring Pro remains on sale in the United States for now. However, Oura's decision to name the Plano-based contract manufacturer SVTronics significantly raises the stakes. If the court finds domestic manufacturing activity liable, Ultrahuman could face hurdles maintaining its U.S. assembly chain while the case proceeds.
The litigation will likely hinge on the technical scope of Oura's newly issued hardware patent and whether Ultrahuman's internal architecture can be proven distinct. As legal arguments unfold in Texas, the proceedings will serve as an indicator of whether early smart ring patents can hold off well-funded competitors, or if licensing deals will become the mandatory cost of doing business in modern biometric wearables.
Filed under: TechNews, Gadgets, Startups, ProductLaunches, Wearables, Hardware