According to reports, the latest Apple Watches may not be available for purchase in the U.S. later this week due to an ongoing international patent dispute. To avoid missing out, it’s advisable to purchase the devices soon if they are on your holiday shopping list.

Starting Thursday afternoon, Apple will halt the sale of its popular watch models, Series 9 and Ultra 2, for online customers in the United States. This suspension will also apply to in-store purchases starting on Sunday. The decision was made due to a ruling from the International Trade Commission in October that limited the sale of Apple watches with the Blood Oxygen feature, following a dispute over intellectual property with Masimo, a medical technology company.

The White House was given 60 days to examine the ITC’s ruling on October 26th, allowing Apple to continue selling the affected models in the U.S. until Christmas. However, Apple announced on Monday that they will stop sales beforehand in order to comply with the ITC’s order.

Apple promised to take necessary actions to resume the sales of Series 9 and Ultra 2 models in the U.S. as soon as possible, if the ITC’s sales ban is not reversed.

After Christmas Eve, the Apple Watch SE will still be available for purchase in the U.S., despite not having the Blood Oxygen feature. If you have already bought an Apple Watch with the Blood Oxygen feature, it will not be affected by the ITC order.

Source: wral.com