Garmin’s legal troubles are piling up. Less than a week after Strava filed a patent infringement suit against the company, it was revealed that Finnish smartwatch brand Suunto is also taking the GPS giant to court.
According to BikeRadar, the lawsuit, filed in a Texas federal court on Sept. 22, accuses Garmin of infringing on five design patents covering technologies related to respiratory rate measurement, automatic golf swing detection and tracking, antenna construction and watch casing. Suunto claims these features appear in nearly all of Garmin’s watches–including the Forerunner, Fenix, Epix, MARQ, Instinct and Venu series–as well as the Approach golf watches and various accessory sensors.
Photo: Suunto
Reports suggest some of these patents are nearing expiration, meaning the timing of the lawsuit could protect Suunto and/or secure financial benefits even after the patents expire.
Suunto is seeking damages and an injunction that could block sales of Garmin devices using the patented technologies. Garmin has not yet responded publicly to the allegations.
The Strava lawsuit
Strava filed its own lawsuit against Garmin on Sept. 30 in Colorado federal court, accusing the company of infringing on decade-old patents tied to segments and heat maps. The complaint also alleges Garmin violated a 2015 Master Cooperation Agreement, which brought Strava’s live segments to Garmin devices.
Garmin Forerunner 970 Photo: Garmin
As with Suunto’s case, Garmin declined to comment (beyond a standard statement saying the company does not discuss pending litigation). The lawsuit appears to be a strategic move to pressure Garmin into dropping its data and advertising demands, while shifting focus onto a longstanding patent dispute.
If the case proceeds, Strava’s claims could also affect much of Garmin’s current lineup–including Forerunner, Fenix and Epix watches, as well as Edge cycling computers.