It is Strava, the American fitness tracking and social media platform, that is piling on Garmin with a legal attack. Specifically, they argue that Garmin has violated two of Strava’s patents. At the time of writing in August 2025, Strava has gained more than 150 million users globally. This popularity cements it as a go-to option for runners and cyclists alike. The lawsuit centers around claims that Garmin has copied Strava’s patented features related to segments and heat maps, which are integral to the platform’s functionality.
The lawsuit is focused on Garmin’s attempt to grow its “Garmin segments” functionality. In response to the proposed expansion, Strava claims that it violates their long-time community agreement on a very basic level. Jess Foster, the attorney for Strava, strongly affirmed that their client has done everything possible to prevent Garmin from breaching the settlement. This agreement unambiguously prohibits Garmin from mimicking or distributing Strava’s innovations without prior approval.
Background on Strava and its Features
At Strava we were originally founded to improve athletes’ tracking experiences. Today, it might mean closing streets to allow for personal fitness achievement and colorful, social, people-filled community vibrancy. The platform offers the ability to monitor all of their workouts, but to be part of a vibrant network of fellow athletes, sharing success and providing motivation.
Strava’s route visualization strategy is as inventive as it is trailblazing, applying color gradients to depict route popularity over both the sport and time of day. This new feature allows users to choose the best routes for their fitness routines using real-time data. Strava enables runners to compare their performance on specific segments of a route, fostering a competitive yet supportive environment among users.
These idiosyncratic features have driven Strava’s incredible success, among the most committed runners and cyclists in particular. The platform really shines in its ability to drive public participation. It provides deeper, more actionable insights into performance, which makes it unique in the convoluted category.
Legal Claims Against Garmin
Specifically, Strava’s lawsuit alleges Garmin infringed on Strava patents that manage segments and create heat maps. As the plaintiff explains it, the company believes that Garmin’s duplicity has amounted to a failure of the unwritten partnership created between both companies. According to Strava, this settlement forbids even a minimal adaptation, recreation, or derivation of any of its own proprietary features.
Strava’s chief product officer Matt Salazar went to bat for users and raised alarm bells about Garmin’s strong-arming. He highlighted the urgency of the situation, stating, “We have until November 1st to comply, and if not, Garmin has threatened to cut off access to their API, stopping all Garmin activities from being uploaded to Strava.” This new ultimatum thrusts an enormous amount of leverage on Strava users that depend on smooth, automated interoperability between the two platforms.
Additionally, Salazar highlighted the need for user data ownership. He stated, “If you recorded an activity on your watch, we think that is your data.” This statement continues to support user interests in Strava’s ongoing legal battle against such practices.
The Implications of the Lawsuit
In its lawsuit, Strava requests an injunction to stop Garmin from selling any products that embody its patented features. The ruling in this case will be incredibly important for both businesses and their millions of users.
A spokesperson for Strava remarked on the nature of the lawsuit, saying, “Our lawsuit is between two companies. We do not intend to take any actions that would disrupt the ability of Garmin users to sync their data with Strava and hope Garmin values our shared users in the same way.” Operationally, this statement may indicate Strava’s desire to keep the platform and its users accessible while seeking remediation through the courts.
As the legal drama plays out, the future looks murky for both companies and their joint collaboration on their unique Talyor+ product line. Whichever side prevails in this dispute will almost certainly have a strong influence over the future outline of their business strategy. It will further shape the overarching fitness technology landscape.
