Philips sues Fitbit for Patent Infringement

August 19,2019:

Fitbit has been accused of patent infringement case filed in Massachusetts Court by Philips, a Dutch multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Amsterdam; it is one of the largest electronics companies in the world, currently focusing in the area of healthcare and lighting. Fitbit Inc. is an American company based out of San Francisco, California.

It brought revolutionary products to the market that track activity, functions on Bluetooth technology, measures and shows monthly progress charts of the number of steps walked, heart rate, quality of sleep, steps climbed, and other personal metrics involved in fitness.

A patent gives its owner the legal right to exclude others from making, using, selling, and importing an invention for a limited period of years. In the United States, a valid patent provides its proprietor with the right to exclude others from practicing the invention claimed in that patent. A person who practices that invention without the permission of the patent holder infringes that patent. No infringement action may be started until the patent is issued.

When patent infringement happens patentee may sue for relief in the appropriate Federal court. The patentee may ask the court for an injunction to prevent the continuation of the patent infringement and may also ask the court for an award of damages because of the patent infringement.

According to Philips, a number of Fitbit activity trackers infringed four of its patents. The U.S. Patent numbers are 6,013,007; 7,088,233; 8,277,377; and 6,976,958 which cover technology related to GPS and audio athletic training, connected wearable and online products and security mechanisms for the transmission of personal data.

Philips has patented its Actiwatch. The issue of infringement is related to this watch. It is a wearable activity tracker. Further, Philips added that it has licensed its patented technology to many health care companies. So, Philips claims that they have offered license rights to Fitbit, but Fitbit never responded. Philips complained that it has informed Fitbit about the infringement of its patents but neither they paid heed to their words nor took any steps to apply for patent rights.

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