Nike Inc. accused Lululemon Athletica Inc. of patent infringement related to its at-home Mirror fitness device and other apps in a new lawsuit filed Wednesday.
The complaint was filed in a U.S. District Court in Manhattan and alleges that Lululemon “summarily” rejected Nike’s demand to stop infringing on six patents. Nike seeks triple damages for the alleged infringement.
“The patents in question are overly broad and invalid,” a Lululemon spokesperson told FN. “We are confident in our position and look forward to defending it in court.”
FN has reached out to Nike for a comment.
Lululemon stock was down more than 4% by Wednesday afternoon. Nike stock was down over 2%.
Part of Nike’s claim is based on a patent application that it filed in 1983 for a device that measures the speed, distance, time and calories expended for a runner as well as other patents on equipment, which it says Mirror infringes upon.
The new lawsuit comes shortly after Lululemon sued Peloton and alleged trade dress infringement, false designation of origin, and unfair competition. The lawsuit represented an escalation in the legal battle between both athletic powerhouses. Lululemon filed this lawsuit just days after Peloton brought the allegations to a Manhattan federal court. In this Nov. 24 filing, Peloton asked the court to reject Lululemon’s “baseless” infringement claims that “lack any merit” because of clear differences that distinguish the sets of products, including the brand logos.
