The affiliated fitness giants Peloton and iFit are facing an import ban on their fitness equipment. The ban was announced today by the U.S. International Trade Commission after a trade judge ruled that the two companies infringed Dish’s streaming patents. While it’s hard to have connected fitness without streaming, this isn’t the first patent showdown from Peloton or iFit, either.
Dish and its subsidiary Sling TV initially sued Peloton, iFit and Lululemon in 2021. The four patents in question come from Dish’s Hopper set-top box and relate to how the device adjusts the bit rate of a stream in real time to improve video quality. The ITC complaint was filed separately at the same time, seeking a ban on Peloton’s and iFit’s NordicTrack equipment, as well as Lululemon’s Mirror. However, Lululemon will not be affected as it is arranged Court in February, Reuters reports.
Peloton, for its part, does not appear to be upset by the ban. For starters, it scaled back its fully outsourced manufacturing over the past year as part of restructuring efforts following an overestimation of demand due to the pandemic. But more importantly, the company says it’s easy to avoid selling machines with the banned technology.
“There will be no impact on our members, current or future. We have already updated the software on newly produced ones [products] and we will deploy new streaming technology to existing ones [products]said Ben Boyd, Peloton’s Senior Vice President of Global Communications. Boyd compared the process to how companies push periodic software updates with new technology on smartphones.
The edge contacted iFit but did not receive an immediate response.
In any case, a ban does not take effect immediately. President Joe Biden’s administration has 60 days to review the ban. It is possible that Biden decides to reverse the ITC’s decision, although presidents generally do not intervene in these matters. In this case, the Biden administration recently refused to veto a possible import ban on the Apple Watch about patent disputes related to the EKG function. At the end of that review period, Peloton and iFit may elect to appeal the decision, which would further delay any suspension.
Platoon’s Boyd also narrates The edge that the company does not believe it has infringed Dish’s patents. He noted that the company is exploring its options, but declined to say whether Peloton would appeal. “Our focus is definitely on the member experience and there will be absolutely no disruption to the member experience.”
This wouldn’t be the first time Peloton or iFit have been embroiled in patent wars over technology. Last year, Peloton and iFit actually settled their patent beef with each other regarding on-demand leaderboard features. Peloton also lost a patent dispute against rival Echelon over its streaming technology, with the US Patent and Trademark Office ruling that Peloton’s technology was not actually patentable. Peloton was much more litigious on this front, burying its competitors in patent-related paperwork. However, the company has since relaxed that strategy since CEO Barry McCarthy took over.
Janice has been with businesskinda for 5 years, writing copy for client websites, blog posts, EDMs and other mediums to engage readers and encourage action. By collaborating with clients, our SEO manager and the wider businesskinda team, Janice seeks to understand an audience before creating memorable, persuasive copy.