- Lawsuit filed Sept 30, 2025: Strava has sued Garmin in U.S. federal court (District of Colorado), accusing Garmin of infringing its patents related to “segments” (timed route challenges) and “heatmaps” (activity popularity maps) [1] [2].
- Devices targeted: The complaint seeks a permanent injunction forcing Garmin to stop selling any device or feature that uses those patents – effectively all of Garmin’s fitness watches and cycling computers [3] [4]. Strava also wants Garmin to disable the disputed segment and heatmap features on the Garmin Connect platform.
- Patent claims: Strava’s segments patent was filed in 2011 (granted 2015) and covers GPS-based route segments with performance leaderboards [5]. Its heatmap patents (filed 2014–2016) cover “user preference” maps to aid route creation [6] [7]. Garmin counters that it had similar features first (introducing its own heatmaps in 2013 and segments in 2014) [8] [9], so it may challenge the validity of Strava’s patents.
- Damages claimed: Strava alleges Garmin’s actions have caused “lost revenue and business opportunities, erosion of competitive differentiation and network effects, harm to goodwill, and unjust gains” for Garmin [10] [11]. It argues that “monetary relief alone is inadequate” and asks the court to bar Garmin from selling the infringing products [12] [13].
- Partnership turned feud: The two companies have long worked together (Garmin even signed a 2015 cooperation agreement to integrate Strava Segments). Strava now accuses Garmin of exceeding that agreement by building its own segment system based on Strava’s technology [14]. Garmin has not publicly responded beyond its standard line: “We don’t have anything additional to share as Garmin generally does not comment on pending litigation” [15].
- Developer guidelines spat: Strava’s suit also stems from a recent API dispute. Strava says Garmin’s July 2025 policy requiring the Garmin logo on every shared activity post (or else Strava’s API access would be cut off) is “blatant advertising” of its users’ data [16] [17]. Strava’s CPO called the move unacceptable, insisting that workout data “is YOUR data” and users shouldn’t have to broadcast ads when uploading it [18] [19].
- Industry context: Strava is a $2.2 billion fitness app (150+ million users, ~$500 million annual revenue run-rate [20]) headed for an IPO, while Garmin’s hardware is a major data source for Strava. Observers note this high-stakes clash could “redefine the balance of power between fitness platforms and the device makers” [21], as Strava tries to protect its premium features and data ecosystem. [22]
With those key facts laid out, let’s dig into the details of this surprising corporate showdown.
Lawsuit Overview: What Did Strava Claim?
On September 30, 2025, Strava formally sued Garmin in Colorado federal court [23]. The complaint alleges that Garmin’s Connect platform and devices infringe two Strava patents: one covering segments (route sections with performance comparisons) and the other covering activity heatmaps used for routing. Strava is asking for an extraordinary remedy: a permanent injunction to force Garmin to stop selling or importing any product that implements the patented technology [24] [25]. In practice, that would hit almost every Garmin fitness watch and Edge bike computer, since those devices include segment and heatmap features [26] [27]. The suit also seeks monetary damages for the harm Strava says Garmin’s actions have caused.
A Strava spokesperson (CPO Matt Salazar) told The Verge that Garmin got “limited permission from Strava to implement Strava Segments on their devices,” but then “painstakingly copy[ed]” Strava’s features and released them as Garmin features, forcing Strava to sue to protect its patents [28]. Strava’s legal filings claim Garmin was “on notice” of Strava’s intellectual property (via their 2015 cooperation agreement) yet “continued to use Strava’s technology in ways that Strava has never authorized or licensed” [29]. Strava says it sent formal notices of infringement to Garmin in June and July 2025, but Garmin “continued their infringing acts,” making this a willful violation that warrants enhanced damages [30] [31].
Patents and Features: Segments vs Heatmaps
Segments: Strava’s core patents relate to its hallmark Segment feature, where athletes can mark a route section and compare times on a global leaderboard. Strava filed that patent in 2011 (granted 2015) [32] [33]. Garmin actually built a similar function into its Edge 1000 bike computer in 2014 [34], and in 2015 Garmin and Strava agreed (via a Master Cooperation Agreement) to integrate Strava’s live segments into Garmin’s devices. Strava now alleges Garmin went beyond that deal: it allegedly studied Strava’s implementation and “leveraged this access to carefully study those features, painstakingly copy them, and then release them as Garmin features” [35]. The lawsuit quotes Strava’s patent claims and argues Garmin’s Segments functionality on Garmin Connect and devices infringes those claims.
Heatmaps: Strava’s other patent covers how to generate route suggestions using “user preference” or heatmap data – essentially preferring roads and trails popular among other Strava users [36]. The first patent was filed in 2014 (issued 2016) and a follow-on filed in 2016 (issued 2017) [37]. Strava says Garmin’s Connect app also shows heatmaps and uses popularity-based routing that violate these patents [38]. However, industry analysts note that Garmin had a heatmap feature as early as 2013, before Strava even filed its patent [39] [40]. BikeRadar’s coverage quotes DC Rainmaker: “Garmin’s lawyers will easily argue this patent shouldn’t have been granted and get it invalidated,” since Garmin’s map features predate Strava’s filing [41]. In short, Garmin is likely to challenge the validity of these patents as a defense.
Behind the Scenes: From Collaboration to Conflict
It’s remarkable because just a year ago Strava and Garmin were partners: Garmin devices are the main way millions of athletes’ workouts reach Strava. The Strava-Authorized range (like Strava Live Segments) was a selling point for Garmin. But tensions have been brewing. In Fall 2024 Strava infamously cracked down on third-party apps through its API, even forcing Trailforks to delete 60 million activities [42]. Garmin was spared the worst of that spat, but it grew frustrated when Strava used Garmin users’ data (uploaded to Strava) to train its AI features without giving Garmin control, while banning other partners from similar use [43]. In early 2025 Garmin quietly developed its own Connect API guidelines requiring clear data source labeling, a move Strava reportedly opposed as a double standard (Strava already labels data from all other sources) [44] [45].
The final trigger may have been Garmin’s new developer branding rules. In July 2025 Garmin announced that any app using its data (including Strava) must display the Garmin logo on every activity screen, or lose API access [46]. Strava’s CPO blasted this on Reddit as “blatant advertising” and said it would ruin user experience [47] [48]. “We consider this to be YOUR data,” he wrote, arguing athletes should upload their workouts anywhere without forced ads [49]. Strava says it tried to negotiate more reasonable attribution with Garmin for months, but to no avail [50]. That disagreement – over who “owns” the data stream and who gets credit – has now flared into full litigation.
What Strava Wants – And What’s At Stake
Strava isn’t just asking for money. Its complaint flatly says a money award “is inadequate” and asks the court to bar Garmin from selling or even offering for sale any devices or features that implement the patented technology [51]. If granted, that would cripple Garmin’s product line (Edge bike computers, Forerunner/Fenix watches, etc.), as those all include segments or heatmaps [52] [53]. Strava’s filing even cites a “causal nexus” between Garmin’s use of segments and consumer demand for Garmin devices, arguing Strava’s brand and platform are irreparably harmed [54].
The lawsuit specifically demands an injunction against “making, using, offering to sell, selling, or importing” the accused features or any “colorable variations” [55]. In practice, Strava wants Garmin to remove segments and heatmap routing from its Connect app and stop selling Garmin watches/bikes that use those functions. Garmin’s Connect+ subscription (launched in 2025 with new routing and AI features) may be particularly targeted, since Strava appears to see it as encroaching on its turf [56] [57].
Strava contends Garmin’s infringement is willful and has damaged its growth. The complaint quotes Strava internal statements about “lost revenue and business opportunities” due to Garmin’s “unjust gains” [58]. However, legal analysts caution that Strava’s case faces hurdles. Garmin can point to its 2013 heatmaps as prior art, and patent cases often hinge on narrow claim language. Strava only holds ~26 patents total [59], whereas Garmin likely holds thousands. Expert observers note that courts rarely ban a top hardware supplier from selling its devices – so the dramatic remedies Strava seeks (“stop selling all devices!” as one report put it [60]) are quite unusual.
Nevertheless, Strava’s filing has raised eyebrows. One industry commentator (Fitt Insider) noted the “reliance and rivalry” at play: Strava depends on Garmin devices to feed its platform, while Garmin increasingly sees data and subscriptions as revenue streams of its own [61]. As Fitt sums up, “the case could redefine the balance of power between fitness platforms and the device makers they rely on” [62].
Reactions and Next Steps
Strava and Garmin have tried to reassure users so far. Strava’s spokesperson has emphasized that this is a legal dispute between the companies and they don’t want to disrupt Garmin-Strava integrations. “We do not intend to take any actions that would disrupt the ability of Garmin users to sync their data with Strava,” Strava told The Verge [63]. That promise has been echoed by news sites: Strava says it hopes Garmin “values our shared users” and won’t retaliate by cutting off API access [64] [65].
But Wall Street and industry watchers are skeptical. Tech blogger Ray Maker (of DC Rainmaker) remarked that Strava is “poking a bear that virtually never loses patent disputes,” calling the lawsuit “bizarre” and warning it is “almost certain to backfire” [66]. He notes the risk that Garmin could simply pull Strava’s API access in return – instantly losing Strava many paying subscribers [67]. Garmin itself has remained tight-lipped, declining comment beyond its boilerplate statement [68].
For now, nothing has changed for consumers: Garmin watches still sync to Strava as usual, and the Connect app still shows segments and heatmaps. But all that may change if the court grants Strava’s demands. This lawsuit will likely drag on for many months (if not years) and be full of patent filings and discovery. Both companies have much to lose: Strava risks alienating its biggest device partner, and Garmin could be forced to strip key features from its products. As Fitt Insider put it, beyond the legal claims “the fitness world is watching to see how this showdown might redraw the lines between platforms and hardware” [69].
Sources: Reputable tech and cycling media reports and filings, including DC Rainmaker [70], BikeRadar [71] [72], The Verge [73] [74], Cyclingnews [75] [76], Cycling Weekly [77] [78], and analysis by industry experts [79] [80]. The quoted lines reference official patent and lawsuit language, Strava statements, and expert commentary on this developing story.
References
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