On Wednesday, ICON Health & Fitness Inc. filed a complaint against Peloton Interactive Inc. for allegedly infringing the patent-in-suit for its automatic control Bike + product.
According to the complaint, since 1977 ICON has had a diverse fitness company under brands such as NordicTrack®, ProForm®, and iFIT®. Reportedly, ICON “was the first to develop and commercialize interactive connected technology that allowed in-home, live, and on-demand instructor led classes with competition and leaderboards (i.e., iFIT) at least 12 years before Peloton was founded. ICON asserted that it “demonstrated its first iteration of iFIT in the late 1990s.” Specifically, for the Atlanta Super Show, a fitness and sport trade show, ICON allegedly “created a remote studio-based treadmill class that was led by an instructor located at ICON’s headquarters in Utah and presented remotely to class participants in Atlanta.” Accordingly, “(t)he instructor led the remote users through a treadmill class, and the speed and incline of the users’ treadmills was remotely controlled by the instructor in Utah.” ICON asserted that the patents it was awarded allowed it to be the sole provider of exercise equipment with a remote-control feature for approximately 20 years.
For example, United States Patent No. 10,864,407 (’407 patent) generally describes “technology to automatically control an exercise device in conjunction with an integrated weight system.” ICON claimed that “(t)his system allows a user to obtain the benefit of automatic control and programming customized for their fitness goals, and seamlessly integrates both aerobic (cardio) and anaerobic (weight/resistance training) into a single exercise using a single device.”
ICON noted that Peloton has had a history of infringing its patents relating to the Peloton Bike, Peloton’s Tread product, and its Bike+ product. In particular, this infringement purportedly relates to Peloton’s Bike+ product, which Peloton began offering in September 2020. ICON averred that Peloton’s Bike + “incorporates ICON’s patented automatic control and interactive integrated weight system as a key new feature. Peloton calls the automatic control ‘Auto Follow.’” Allegedly, “Auto Follow automatically adjusts the bike’s resistance to match an instructor’s callout.” Additionally, ICON claimed that Auto Follow is “paired with a weight cradle on the Bike+ and other features that tell a user when to alternate between using the free weights and using the Bike+.” ICON proffered that these features and others infringe the ’407 patent and a pending ICON patent.
ICON seeks declaratory judgment in its favor, for the court to enjoin Peloton from further infringement, an award for damages, costs and fees, pre and post judgment interest, and other relief.
ICON Health & Fitness is represented by Richards, Layton & Finger P.A. and Maschoff Brennan Gilmore Israelsen & Wright PLLC.
