Strava Files Lawsuit Against Garmin Over Patent Infringement
In a surprising turn of events, Strava, the popular fitness tracking application, has initiated legal action against its long-time partner Garmin. Filed in the US District Court of Colorado on September 30th, 2023, the lawsuit alleges that Garmin has infringed on Strava’s patents related to segments and heatmaps, which are central features in the fitness technology landscape.
Allegations of Patent Violation
The crux of Strava’s complaint revolves around allegations that Garmin violated the Master Cooperation Agreement (MCA) signed between the two companies in 2015. According to Strava, Garmin has expanded its feature set beyond what was permitted, consequently infringing on their patented technology designed for performance comparisons on user-defined routes, known as segments.
Furthermore, Strava is seeking a permanent injunction to prohibit Garmin from selling products that include these features, arguing that monetary compensation alone would be inadequate. This demand specifically targets Garmin’s Connect fitness tracking platform and a majority of its hardware innovations, including popular devices like the Edge bike computers and various smartwatch models such as the Forerunner, Fenix, and Epix series.
Background on Segment Technology
Strava’s segment patent was filed in 2011 and officially granted in 2015, which allows users to compare their performance on designated routes. Within this timeframe, Garmin released its own segment feature with the Edge 1000 cycle computer in 2014, subsequently entering into a partnership with Strava to incorporate Live Segments into Garmin devices.
Heat Mapping Claims
The lawsuit also touches on Strava’s patents related to heat mapping and recommended routes based on popular activity areas. One such patent for activity heatmaps was filed in 2014 and granted in 2016, while another for popularity-based routing was filed in 2016 and granted in 2017. Notably, Garmin had launched its heatmap feature prior to Strava’s filings, which complicates the infringement claims.
Strava’s Position and Future Steps
In a statement to media, Strava spokesperson Brian Bell articulated that the company made multiple attempts to resolve the infringement informally before resorting to legal action. “Garmin rejected Strava’s repeated attempts to address Garmin’s infringement informally, forcing Strava to take a stand on the matter and file suit,” Bell stated.
Despite the ongoing litigation, Strava reassures users that it does not intend to disrupt the data synchronization capabilities between Garmin devices and the Strava app. The company hopes Garmin will recognize the value of their mutual user base throughout this process.
Garmin’s Response
As of now, Garmin has not publicly commented on the lawsuit. The outcome of this case could have significant implications for both brands, given their strong ties within the fitness technology sector and shared user community.
For additional details, you can view the full article on The Verge Here.
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