Peloton Sued for Treadmill Motor Patent Infringement

Last Thursday, a lawsuit was filed by health technology company Johnson Health Tech (JHT) in the Western District of Wisconsin. The plaintiff accuses Peloton, an exercise equipment company, of infringing on multiple patents that they currently hold.

JHT's lawsuit alleges that Pelotons "Tread"and"Tread+"treadmills use technology that infringes on their '227 patent, '375 patent, and '340 patent. These patents cover the motors used in the product, the sensors that can detect user engagement, a removable operating unit, a controller that is connected to the operating unit, and "a controller in communication with the operating unit and the sensor, the controller configured to generate validated exercise use data in response to the sensor detecting engagement of the user with the operating unit and movement of the operating unit relative to the base,” according to the complaint.

The plaintiffs asserts that"Peloton directly infringes at least claim 1 of each of the '227, '375 and '340 patents by making, using, offering to sell, selling and/or importing into the United States the Accused Products."The first patent was acquired in 2018, and the plaintiff believes that Peloton has knowingly violated these patents, and has continued to encourage distributors and customers to sell and buy the product, respectively.

The plaintiffs believe that Peloton's willful infringement on the patents will continue if left unchecked, and they request that the court approve a preliminary and permanent injunction that would prevent the sale of the violating products. They also request that damages be awarded to adequately compensate for the infringement.