Fitness technology company Garmin is facing two separate patent infringement lawsuits filed by Strava and Suunto, adding tension to the competitive landscape of the endurance sports technology sector.
Strava Alleges Breach of Agreement in Colorado Lawsuit
Strava has initiated legal action against Garmin in a Colorado court. The lawsuit centers on Garmin’s “segments” and “leaderboard” features. Strava claims these functionalities violate a patent licensing agreement the two companies established back in 2015.
This agreement originally allowed Garmin to integrate Strava’s “Live Segments” feature into its cycling computers, watches, and software. The relationship between the two companies shifted in March of this year when Garmin launched Connect+, a premium subscription version of its Garmin Connect fitness tracking software. This move positioned Garmin as a direct competitor to Strava’s subscription service.
Beyond the authorized Strava-branded Live Segments, Garmin now also provides its own branded segments and leaderboards on its devices and platform. Strava’s suit alleges that these Garmin-branded features partially breach the terms of the 2015 agreement.
A Garmin spokesperson stated that the company does not comment on pending litigation. Matt Salazar, Strava’s Chief Product Officer, pointed to a separate dispute, which appears to fall outside the current civil suit. Salazar indicated the conflict stems from new developer guidelines Garmin issued on July 1st. These guidelines reportedly require the Garmin logo to appear on every activity post, screen, chart, image, and shared card uploaded from its devices to third-party platforms like Strava. Garmin has set a deadline of November 1st for compliance, threatening to cut off API access, which would prevent all Garmin user activities from uploading directly to Strava.
Suunto Alleges Broader Patent Infringement in Texas
In a separate case filed last month, Finnish fitness watch manufacturer Suunto is suing Garmin in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas. Suunto’s complaint alleges that a range of Garmin smartwatch models, including the Marq, fenix, Epix, Instinct, Venu, and Forerunner series, infringe upon five of its patents.
The patents in question relate to core smartwatch functionalities, specifically technologies for tracking and measuring a user’s respiratory rate, as well as methods for positioning components within the watch casing.
These concurrent lawsuits highlight the increasing competition and complex intellectual property landscape in the connected fitness and wearable technology market, a sector crucial to many cyclists and amateur athletes who rely on this data.
