The legal battles between Peloton and iFit Health & Fitness Inc. – the maker of NordicTrack – are escalating.
Just last month iFit filed a complaint with the U.S. International Trade Commission, requesting that they block the import of Peloton’s Bike+ devices. The complaint claims that Peloton’s Bike+ infringes upon an iFit patent that applies to an interactive exercise bike.
Last week the International Trade Commission agreed to hear iFit’s case and will investigate whether Peloton’s Bike+ devices infringe on iFit’s patent. They are specifically looking at Section 337 of the Tariff Act of 1930, which prohibits the importation of products that infringe upon U.S. patents.
The International Trade Commission press release notes that just because the Commission has agreed to hear the case does not mean that they believe iFit is right:
By instituting this investigation (337-TA-1305), the USITC has not yet made any decision on the merits of the case. The USITC’s Chief Administrative Law Judge will assign the case to one of the USITC’s administrative law judges (ALJ), who will schedule and hold an evidentiary hearing. The ALJ will make an initial determination as to whether there is a violation of section 337; that initial determination is subject to review by the Commission.
Just last week Peloton filed a counter-lawsuit, requesting that iFit be banned from importing at-home fitness equipment that Peloton argues rips off their interactive exercise systems. The complaint also requested a cease-and-desist that would prohibit iFit from selling and advertising said infringing products.
iFit has been pressing this issue since April of 2021, when they filed their first lawsuit regarding the matter. They allege that the combination of the Bike+ Auto-Follow feature, which automatically adjusts the rider’s resistance based on the instructor’s call-outs during on-demand rides, plus the weight rack and Bike+ user interface, all come together to violate iFit’s patent that was issued in December of 2020 (after the Bike+ was released).
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