Strava Backs Down From Garmin Patent Fight After Just 21 Days Strava’s bold legal offensive against Garmin has ended almost as quickly as it began. On Tuesday, the fitness app company filed paperwork to voluntarily dismiss its patent infringement lawsuit against the device maker. The entire legal battle, which included a fiery public post from a Strava executive, lasted a mere 21 days. The now-dropped lawsuit had accused Garmin of infringing on patents related to popular fitness tracking features like heat maps and segments. Strava had initially asked the court to stop sales of the Garmin products it claimed were infringing, which, by its own description, would have encompassed most of Garmin’s lineup. The conflict escalated when Strava’s Chief Product Officer, Matt Salazar, took to Reddit in early October. In a post titled “Setting the record straight,” he framed the lawsuit as a defensive move. Salazar claimed Garmin was demanding that its logo be displayed on every single activity post, screen, graph, and image shared from partner apps like Strava. He accused Garmin of caring more about its marketing than user experience, suggesting the company wanted to use Strava as a free advertising platform. These were strong words that painted a picture of a company ready for a drawn-out and principled war against its long-time partner. The sudden decision to drop the lawsuit without explanation is a stark reversal, essentially amounting to a “never mind.” The reason for the abrupt about-face remains officially unconfirmed, as Strava has not provided comment. The most likely scenario involves private discussions between the two companies. Garmin, which possesses a vast patent portfolio and a strong history of defending it in court, may have threatened a formidable counter-suit. Legal analysts also noted that Strava’s case, particularly concerning the heat map patents, appeared legally weak from the start. The lawsuit was always a puzzling strategic move given Strava’s heavy reliance on data from Garmin devices. The two companies have a deeply intertwined relationship, and severing that connection would have been catastrophic for Strava. A large portion of the activities on Strava are uploaded directly from Garmin wearables. Losing access to Garmin’s massive user base would have been a devastating blow, especially for a company that is reportedly planning to file for an initial public offering next year. The swift end to the lawsuit suggests Strava calculated the immense risk and decided a retreat was the only sensible path forward.
