Adidas sues Asics over fitness-tracking patents
Sportswear company Adidas has accused Asics America, the US subsidiary of Japan-based Asics, of infringing ten fitness-tracking patents.
Filed at the US District Court for the District of Delaware on Friday, March 17, the lawsuit claimed that Asics had infringed the patents through its My Asics mobile app.
Adidas alleged that Asics had infringed the following US patents: 8,068,858; 7,805,150; 7,805,149; 7,480,512; 9,415,267; 8,968,156; 8,858,399; 8,814,755; 8,725,276; and 8,579,767.
FitnessKeeper, the operator of fitness-tracking app Runkeeper, is also named as a defendant in the suit.
Asics acquired FitnessKeeper in 2016.
According to the claim, both apps include software with a GPS receiver, as well as software to integrate and work with third-party devices such as heart rate monitors.
“The defendants have acted in concert in the fitness technology marketplace, and supported and encourage the infringing activities of the other,” said the suit.
Asics and FitnessKeeper allegedly had knowledge of the patents and have been aware of them since February 2014, when Adidas sued Under Armour and MapMyFitness over some of the same patents asserted in the Asics claim.
Adidas is seeking a permanent injunction, damages, enhanced damages, a jury trial, and further relief the court may deem just and proper.
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