Strava sues Garmin over patent violations, seeks sales ban
What's the story
Fitness app Strava has sued its long-time partner Garmin over patent infringement. The lawsuit was filed in the US District Court of Colorado on September 30. Strava alleges that Garmin violated an agreement between them by infringing on its patents for segments and heatmaps. These features allow users to compare performance times and identify popular areas for activity, respectively.
Legal action
Strava seeks permanent injunction against Garmin
Strava is seeking a permanent injunction to stop Garmin from selling or offering any products with segments or heat mapping features. The request targets Garmin's Connect fitness tracking platform and most of its devices, including Edge bike computers and Forerunner, Fenix, and Epix watches. Strava argues that "monetary relief alone is inadequate" in this case.
Official statement
Strava accuses Garmin of 'painstakingly' copying features
Strava's spokesperson Brian Bell said, "Garmin received limited permission from Strava to implement Strava Segments on their devices; however, they leveraged this access to carefully study those features, painstakingly copy them, and then release them as Garmin features." He added that "Garmin rejected Strava's repeated attempts to address Garmin's infringement informally," forcing Strava to take legal action.