Strava Sues Garmin, Demanding Halt to Sales of Popular Fitness Devices
Denver, CO – October 26, 2025 – Strava, the social fitness network beloved by runners and cyclists, has filed a lawsuit against Garmin, alleging patent infringement related to two core features: Segments and heatmaps.The lawsuit,filed September 30th in the US District Court for the District of Colorado,seeks a permanent injunction that could halt the sale of many of Garmin’s popular smartwatches and Edge bike computers.
The legal battle centers around Strava’s claims that Garmin has unlawfully utilized patented technology in its devices.strava holds a patent,granted in 2015 after initial filing in 2011,covering GPS-based segments with time-based performance comparisons – a feature that allows users to compete against each other on specific routes.Garmin introduced a similar feature on its Edge 1000 bike computer in 2014, later expanding it across its product line.
While the two companies previously collaborated under a Master Cooperation Agreement (MCA) to integrate Strava Live segments into Garmin devices – an agreement that stipulated they wouldn’t display competing segment data simultaneously – Strava alleges Garmin went further.the lawsuit claims Garmin “studied the Strava implementation and used it as a blueprint to build a competing system,” exceeding the boundaries of their collaborative agreement.
The second component of the lawsuit concerns heatmap technology,which visually displays popular workout routes based on aggregated user data. Strava holds two patents related to generating these heatmaps, filed in 2014 and 2016. However, industry analyst DC Rainmaker points out that Garmin had implemented similar heatmap functionality as early as 2013, raising questions about the validity of Strava’s patents. “Garmin’s lawyers will easily argue this patent shouldn’t have been granted and get it invalidated,” Rainmaker noted.
Strava asserts that these alleged infringements have resulted in significant financial and competitive damage, including lost revenue, diminished brand recognition, and hindered business opportunities. The company notified Garmin of the alleged infringement in June and July, following a period of escalating disagreements.
The tensions stem, in part, from recent API changes implemented by Strava that disrupted third-party applications, including those from Garmin. Garmin publicly criticized Strava’s handling of data attribution and its use of Garmin user data for artificial intelligence training.
Despite the lawsuit, Strava has stated it does not intend to disrupt existing data syncing between Garmin devices and the Strava platform, emphasizing its commitment to shared users.”we hope Garmin values our shared users in the same way,” a Strava spokesperson told DC Rainmaker.
The outcome of this lawsuit could have significant implications for the fitness technology landscape, potentially reshaping the competitive dynamics between these two industry giants.
keywords: Strava, Garmin, lawsuit, patent infringement, segments, heatmaps, fitness technology, bike computers, smartwatches, GPS, data, competition.
