Sneaker Squabble: Nike Accuses Lululemon's Mirror of Stealing Patents
- Nike has escalated its feud with Lululemon's Mirror home gym division, alleging patent infringement in a fresh lawsuit. The athletic giant has a bone to pick with Mirror's system, claiming it copies patents Nike has been holding onto for years.
- According to Nike's lawsuit, Mirror's system infringes on a patent Nike filed for, which prompts users to reach specific exertion levels and calculates heart rate zones based on real-time measurements.
- A Lululemon spokesperson vehemently disagrees, stating, "The patents at the heart of this matter are overly broad and invalid. We're confident in our position and can't wait to defend it in court." Nike didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.
Workout War: Nike Bickers with Lululemon's Mirror over Intellectual Property
Nike files a lawsuit against Lululemon, alleging that Lululemon's Mirror product violates Nike's patents.
As athletic retailers engage more with connected fitness, Nike is confronting Lululemon's yet-to-be-seasoned Mirror acquisition, alleging patent infringement.
Prior to filing the lawsuit, Nike sent a letter to Lululemon, outlining six patents it believes Lululemon is infringing. Yet, Lululemon deemed the patents in question unnecessary and, less than a month later, Nike filed its lawsuit.
Nike's lawsuit also questions Mirror's "Face off" feature, a workout competition amongst users, which it claims infringes on its patented workout method that involves one user participating in an athletic challenge against another and analyzing both users' athletic activities via sensor data.
In its lawsuit, Nike claims it "has endured, and continues to endure, economic damage due to Lululemon's infringing actions" and that such actions have caused "irreversible damage." Nike seeks to prevent Lululemon from infringing on its patents in the future and to be compensated by Lululemon, including legal fees.
Since Mirror joined Lululemon's ranks, it's brought a host of challenges in its wake. Lululemon, analysts' favorite, has faced questions about Mirror's growth and profitability over the past year and a half. The retailer has been hush-hush about Mirror's business performance. In September, just before the startup's CEO stepped down, Lululemon admitted Mirror was not profitable but remained mum about a possible path to profitability.
Experts speculate, "Given scant disclosure, the Mirror acquisition seems to introduce distractions into an otherwise unblemished equity story."
In addition to its court battle with Nike, Lululemon is engaged in another fight over apparel designs that Lululemon alleges Peloton copied. This lawsuit followed Peloton's launch of its own apparel line, as the two companies had collaborated on apparel in the past.
- As the digital age expands the boundaries of the athletic industry, a legal dispute erupts between Nike and Lululemon over intellectual property rights, with Nike accusing Lululemon's Mirror of infringing on patents related to fitness technology, business, and trade.
- In the business world, Nike has levied charges against Lululemon's Mirror, suggesting that Mirror's workout competition feature, "Face off," infringes on a patent related to a competitive workout method that Nike holds, potentially causing economic damage and irrevocable harm.
- Furthermore, the sports sector witnesses a battle between Lululemon and Peloton, as Lululemon alleges Peloton of appropriating apparel designs in a lawsuit, adding yet another conflict to Lululemon's challenges since acquiring Mirror, jeopardizing the latter's growth and profitability in the field of AI-driven fitness and sports products.
