Oura sues Ultrahuman again over Ring Pro, seeking U.S. sales ban

Oura has filed a new patent lawsuit against Ultrahuman, asking a U.S. court to halt sales of the Indian startup's Ring Pro smart ring just months after a redesign helped the Bengaluru-based company return to the American market. According to TechCrunch, the complaint was filed Thursday in a federal court in Texas, and Oura is seeking monetary damages as well as a permanent injunction that would stop Ultrahuman from selling the ring in the United States.

The patents behind the case

The suit claims the Ring Pro infringes two Oura patents covering the ring's design and its internal components, including the battery and sensors. Oura contends that a March ruling from U.S. Customs and Border Protection — the decision that let Ultrahuman resume U.S. sales after an earlier import ban — applied only to the patent involved in that prior dispute, not to the two patents now at issue: D804,471 and 12,769,363.

One of those patents is brand new. It was issued to Oura on October 20, just two days before the lawsuit was filed, and covers a smart-ring design incorporating internal parts such as a curved battery, a circuit board, magnets and sensors.

Oura also named Texas-based electronics manufacturer SVTronics as a defendant. The complaint alleges SVTronics manufactures the Ring Pro at a facility in Plano, Texas, under Ultrahuman's direction and control, and that both companies infringe the patents through the manufacture, importation and sale of the device in the U.S.

An Oura spokesperson told TechCrunch that Ultrahuman has a history of copying its innovations, citing the 2025 International Trade Commission ruling, and said the redesigned ring still fails to address the infringement while trying to capitalize on Oura's market position. TechCrunch reported that Ultrahuman did not respond to a request for comment.

A feud dating back to 2023

The two companies have been fighting over patents since 2023, when Oura first sued over Ultrahuman's Ring Air, the device that had helped the startup make a name for itself in the U.S. A separate case Oura brought before the ITC in 2024 led to a ruling in August 2025 and an import ban on the Ring Air. Ultrahuman then launched the redesigned Ring Pro in February and secured the favorable Customs decision in March.

Ultrahuman is not the only rival facing legal pressure. According to TechCrunch, Oura has also pursued patent claims against smart-ring makers including Samsung, RingConn, Circular and Zepp Health. Some of those disputes have ended in licensing agreements, with RingConn and Circular agreeing to pay royalties to keep selling their products.

A growing market under legal strain

The dispute unfolds as the smart-ring category expands. Research firm IDC expects global shipments to climb 12.8% this year to 4.9 million units and reach about 6.3 million by 2030, with Oura remaining a leading player and Ultrahuman among the growing field of competitors.

The timing is notable on both sides. Oura shelved a $2.2 billion IPO just weeks ago, citing market uncertainty, and this week added new fitness metrics that help users track how workouts affect their cardiovascular health. Ultrahuman, meanwhile, raised $70 million in September from investors including Qualcomm Ventures and Labcorp at a valuation of about $365 million, and is working with Qualcomm on a future smart ring that could run more software directly on the device, extending beyond health tracking toward areas such as AI interactions and gaming.

Why it matters

The lawsuit threatens to undo Ultrahuman's carefully staged comeback to the U.S. market for a second time. If Oura prevails on an injunction, the Ring Pro could be pulled from American shelves, cutting off a key growth market for a startup that just raised fresh capital to fund expansion. More broadly, the case illustrates how Oura is wielding its patent portfolio as a competitive weapon across the smart-ring industry, leaving rivals to redesign their products, pay royalties, or exit the U.S. entirely. With the category still young but growing quickly, the outcome could determine how much genuine choice consumers have beyond the market leader.