Customize Consent Preferences

We use cookies to help you navigate efficiently and perform certain functions. You will find detailed information about all cookies under each consent category below.

The cookies that are categorized as "Necessary" are stored on your browser as they are essential for enabling the basic functionalities of the site. ... 

Always Active

Necessary cookies are required to enable the basic features of this site, such as providing secure log-in or adjusting your consent preferences. These cookies do not store any personally identifiable data.

No cookies to display.

Functional cookies help perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collecting feedback, and other third-party features.

No cookies to display.

Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics such as the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.

No cookies to display.

Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.

No cookies to display.

Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with customized advertisements based on the pages you visited previously and to analyze the effectiveness of the ad campaigns.

No cookies to display.

admin
Pinned January 21, 2020

<> Embed

@  Email

Report

Uploaded by user
US will investigate Fitbit and Garmin following Philips complaints
<> Embed @  Email Report

US will investigate Fitbit and Garmin following Philips complaints

Jon Fingas, @jonfingas

January 11, 2020
 
US will investigate Fitbit and Garmin following Philips complaints | DeviceDaily.com
 
The new year isn’t getting off to a great start for some wearable device makers. The US International Trade Commission has agreed to investigate Fitbit, Garmin, distributor Ingram Micro and two Chinese manufacturers (Inventec and Maintek) over Philips’ patent violation claims. Allegedly, the Fitbit and Garmin devices are infringing on technology such as activity tracking, alarm reporting and motion sensing. Philips maintained that it had been negotiating with the companies for three years before talks fell apart and forced its hand.

The original complaint had been filed in December and could lead to tariffs or outright bans on any devices found violating Philips’ patents. Companies embroiled in patent disputes often use ITC complaints alongside or in place of lawsuits to get a faster verdict (civil suits frequently take years to unfold) and pressure targets into reaching a settlement.

To no one’s surprise, the complaint isn’t going over well. A Fitbit spokesperson told Reuters that Philips’ assertions were “without merit” and stemmed from the Dutch firm’s “failure to succeed” in the wearable device space. We’ve asked Garmin for comment.

Philips was relatively late to the fitness watch party, releasing the Health Watch in 2016 long after Fitbit, Garmin and others had entered the space. While it was a fairly specialized device from the outset and wasn’t likely to become a runaway hit, it clearly struggled compared to the explosive growth of competitors that also included Apple and Samsung. Whatever Philips’ motivations, this may be a rare chance for the company to reap a windfall from its smartwatch work — especially when Google is in the midst of acquiring Fitbit.

Engadget RSS Feed

(33)