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Garmin wins latest round in patent infringement lawsuit

The judge in a recent lawsuit against Garmin International Inc. alleging patent infringement has ruled in favor of the Olathe-based company. The suit was filed by Massachusetts-based Philips North America, LLC. The judge ruled that Philips' patents are invalid and do not cover Garmin’s wearable devices.

A judge’s recent ruling in a lawsuit from Philips against Garmin International Inc. came out in favor for Olathe-based Garmin.

Philips sued Garmin, Fitbit Inc. and others, alleging patent infringement on wearable technology. 

The patents in named involve smartwatch functions like motion tracking, alarm reporting and more.

On Thursday, an administrative law judge at the ITC issued an initial determination that Phillips’ asserted patents were invalid and did not cover Garmin’s wearable devices. The initial determination is subject to ITC review. 

According to Philips, it had been negotiating with the companies for three years before talks fell apart. The original complaint had been filed in December 2020.

“Garmin is very pleased with the ALJ’s initial determination and conclusion that Philips’ patents are invalid and not infringed by Garmin’s products,” Garmin’s vice president and General Counsel, Andrew Etkind, said. “This result was abundantly clear from the start. Garmin has repeatedly taken a stand against meritless patent lawsuits, and it is our consistent policy to fight baseless patent claims.”