WILMINGTON, Del. (BRAIN) — Wahoo Fitness is suing Zwift and JetBlack for allegedly infringing on three Wahoo patents related to its stationary trainers.
JetBlack Cycling Pty Ltd, based in Australia, manufactures the Hub trainer that Zwift recently introduced. JetBlack also markets a nearly identical model, the Volt, under its own name for the same price. The Volt has been available for several years.
In separate complaints filed on Oct. 3 against each company in the U.S District Court in Delaware, Wahoo charges that the JetBlack Volt and Zwift Hub are “identical, in all material respects, to the KICKR CORE, one of Wahoo’s innovative bicycle trainers. By copying the KICKR CORE, JetBlack has infringed three of Wahoo’s patents.”
The three patents are:
- US Patent No. 10,046,222, “System and Method for Controlling a Bicycle Trainer”
- US Patent No. 10,933,290, “Bicycle Trainer”
- US Patent No. 11,090,542, “System and Method for Controlling a Bicycle Trainer”
Wahoo is asking the court for jury trial and asking for a preliminary injunction against JetBlack and Zwift preventing them from selling its trainers in the U.S.
Wahoo lists its patents at wahoofitness.com/patents. Zwift and JetBlack representatives said they couldn't comment on ongoing litigation.
On Tuesday Wahoo released a statement on the lawsuit:
Wahoo has taken steps to protect its intellectual property (IP) by filing a complaint against Zwift and JetBlack for infringing on U.S. issued patents awarded to Wahoo’s indoor trainer product line. We took this action because the JetBlack Volt and the Zwift Hub clearly infringe on multiple Wahoo U.S. patents. We chose to file these complaints now, in the United States under our U.S. IP laws after Zwift announced the launch of its Hub and such announcement brought to our attention that the JetBlack Volt had become available in the U.S. market. Allowing copycat products in the market, stagnates product innovation and pressures product quality, which is bad for the cycling community. Wahoo encourages competition in the market as it drives innovation and fuels category growth, we simply want Zwift and JetBlack to follow the same rules and laws as the other competitors in the market. This was not an easy decision for Wahoo, but we must protect our IP because it fuels our ability to deliver the most innovative and accurate experiences for cyclists. Wahoo values Zwift as a partner and our goal is to continue to work together to serve our joint consumers and grow the indoor cycling business.
