San Francisco: The United States International Trade Commission has begun a fresh review to decide whether Apple’s latest Apple Watch models should face another import ban after renewed complaints from medical technology company Masimo.

The new investigation focuses on whether Apple’s redesigned blood oxygen feature still uses technology that Masimo claims is protected by its patents. Apple had earlier removed the feature from certain models to comply with an earlier ban, and later brought it back in a changed form that shifted some of the processing work to the iPhone.

Masimo argues that the redesign still violates its intellectual property and has urged the regulators to block imports of the updated watches. Apple maintains that its redesigned product does not infringe any patents and says Masimo is trying to limit competition in health related wearables.

The tribunal has set a target of about six months to complete its review. If it rules against Apple, the company could once again be forced to halt imports of some smartwatch models or disable the blood oxygen feature for users in the United States.

The dispute comes alongside a separate blow for Apple. A federal jury in California has ordered the company to pay Masimo 634 million dollars for infringing one of its patents, adding more pressure on Apple as it battles challenges on several legal fronts.

Both companies continue to fight over their competing claims as the outcome could shape the future of health monitoring technology in smartwatches.