Fitbit unbroken by Jawbone trade secrets claim
Fitness tracker creator Jawbone has failed in its trade secrets and patent infringement claim against rival Fitbit.
US International Trade Commission (ITC) Judge Sandra Lord made the ruling on August 23.
Lord said that there had been no violation of the Tariff Act of 1930 because “no party has been shown to have misappropriated any trade secret”.
In a complaint filed in July last year, Jawbone alleged that Fitbit had solicited and pursued Jawbone employees who had access to the company’s confidential information including information related to product design and sourcing.
Jawbone also claimed that its rival was infringing its patents US numbers 8,446,275; 8,529,811; 8,793,522; 8,961,413; 8,073,707 and 8,398,546.
All of the patents relate to technology used in wearable fitness and activity tracker devices to monitor and report on health and wellness metrics.
Two of the patents were withdrawn and four others were invalidated by the judge.
James Park, CEO of Fitbit, said: “From the outset of this litigation, we have maintained that Jawbone’s allegations were utterly without merit and nothing more than a desperate attempt by Jawbone to disrupt Fitbit’s momentum to compensate for their own lack of success in the market.”
