Strava is suing Garmin over alleged patent infringements
Has the watchmaker strayed a little far into the fitness app’s lane?
In a federal lawsuit filed on Tuesday, exercise- and activity-tracking platform Strava accused Garmin, famed for its exercise- and activity-tracking hardware, of infringing three separate patents covering its popular map segments and user heat map technology.
Well, that tracks
Strava, a private company that has more than 170 million users worldwide, it said in the suit, also alleged that Garmin breached the contract of an agreement they formed 10 years ago that allowed the watchmaker to implement Strava’s segment technology on its devices, but only in limited instances.
Strava is seeking damages and declaratory and injunctive relief — or, as popular fitness tech YouTuber DC Rainmaker put it: “They are demanding that Garmin cease selling effectively all of their fitness/outdoor watches, as well as cycling computers.”
Unbeknownst to many who see Garmin only as the brand of the running watch worn by the friend who never stops talking about PBs and “negative splits,” the company actually makes a lot of other stuff, too.
Watch this space
OK, sure, its outdoor and fitness segments — home to its GPS-enabled smart watches, handheld trackers, smart scales, dog training and tracking tech, plus much else besides — are the biggest parts of the business, pulling in $1.96 billion and $1.77 billion, respectively, in the latest fiscal year.
Garmin also, however, kits out planes with navigation and communication tools, integrated flight decks, engine indication systems, and other tech in its aviation segment; it’s a leading manufacturer of recreational marine electronics like fish-finders and sonar and radar tech in its marine division; and it even supplies in-car infotainment systems and other offerings for major automakers in the automotive, or “Auto OEM,” part of its business.
