Strava is suing Garmin for alleged patent infringement, aiming to block the sale of Garmin’s fitness and cycling devices. The lawsuit was filed in the US District Court of Colorado on September 30, 2025.
Details of the Lawsuit
The lawsuit claims that Garmin violated an agreement by infringing on Strava’s patents related to segments and heatmaps. Strava is seeking a permanent injunction to prevent Garmin from selling products that feature these elements. This includes Garmin’s Connect platform and devices such as Edge bike computers and Forerunner watches.
Strava’s segments feature patent was filed in 2011 and granted in 2015. This patent allows athletes to compare performances on user-defined routes. Garmin’s Edge 1000 cycle computer, launched in 2014, included its own segments system. In 2015, Garmin signed a Master Cooperation Agreement with Strava to integrate Strava Live Segments into its devices.
According to the source, Strava alleges that Garmin expanded its segments feature beyond the agreed-upon terms. Additionally, Strava claims that Garmin created a competing system using its patented technology across the Garmin Connect platform.
Strava also asserts that Garmin’s heat mapping and route suggestion features infringe on two other patents. One patent, focused on activity heatmaps, was filed in 2014 and granted in 2016. The second patent, covering popularity-based routing features, was filed in 2016 and granted in 2017. However, Garmin introduced heatmaps to its platform in 2013, prior to Strava’s patent filings.
“Garmin received limited permission from Strava to implement Strava Segments on their devices; however, they leveraged this access to carefully study those features,” said Strava spokesperson Brian Bell.
Garmin’s Response
Garmin has not immediately responded to requests for comment regarding the lawsuit. Strava’s spokesperson indicated that the company does not intend to disrupt Garmin users’ ability to sync data with Strava.
