Strava is suing Garmin over alleged patent infringements

Has the watchmaker strayed a little far into the fitness app’s lane?

In a federal lawsuit filed on Tuesday, exercise- and activity-tracking platform Strava accused Garmin, famed for its exercise- and activity-tracking hardware, of infringing three separate patents covering its popular map segments and user heat map technology.

Well, that tracks

Strava, a private company that has more than 170 million users worldwide, it said in the suit, also alleged that Garmin breached the contract of an agreement they formed 10 years ago that allowed the watchmaker to implement Strava’s segment technology on its devices, but only in limited instances.

Strava is seeking damages and declaratory and injunctive relief — or, as popular fitness tech YouTuber DC Rainmaker put it: “They are demanding that Garmin cease selling effectively all of their fitness/outdoor watches, as well as cycling computers.”

Unbeknownst to many who see Garmin only as the brand of the running watch worn by the friend who never stops talking about PBs and “negative splits,” the company actually makes a lot of other stuff, too.

Watch this space

OK, sure, its outdoor and fitness segments — home to its GPS-enabled smart watches, handheld trackers, smart scales, dog training and tracking tech, plus much else besides — are the biggest parts of the business, pulling in $1.96 billion and $1.77 billion, respectively, in the latest fiscal year.

Garmin also, however, kits out planes with navigation and communication tools, integrated flight decks, engine indication systems, and other tech in its aviation segment; it’s a leading manufacturer of recreational marine electronics like fish-finders and sonar and radar tech in its marine division; and it even supplies in-car infotainment systems and other offerings for major automakers in the automotive, or “Auto OEM,” part of its business.

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Amazon doubles down on groceries with new private-label collection, sending grocery stocks lower

Amazon on Wednesday launched Amazon Grocery, a new private-label food brand that combines its Fresh and Happy Belly lines into one collection.

The label covers more than 1,000 staples, from milk and eggs to olive oil and fresh meat, with most items priced under $5. Shares of Amazon were little changed, but grocery-selling rivals Target, Walmart, and Kroger all slipped around 2% following the announcement. Costco also slipped about 1%.

The launch highlights Amazon’s growing push into both grocery and private-label essentials as more customers trade down to cut costs. In August, the e-commerce giant added perishable groceries to same-day delivery in 1,000 cities and towns across the country.

At the same time, Amazon said shoppers purchased 15% more private-brand products in 2024 compared to the previous year across Amazon.com, Whole Foods Market, and Amazon Fresh.

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Ford sales climb for 7th straight month as EVs hit a quarterly record on tax credit expiration

September marked another banner month for Ford’s electric vehicle business, with EV sales climbing 85% from the same month last year to more than 11,700 units.

For the third quarter as a whole, Ford’s electrified unit sales grew nearly 20%. That’s the division’s best Q3 on record, boosted by the looming end of the $7,500 federal tax credit on Tuesday. Ford, with rival GM, has found some ways to extend that credit in the hopes of keeping sales stable.

Overall, Ford sales rose 8.2% on the quarter, and September was the automaker’s seventh straight month of sales gains. Ford sales have been buoyed this year by panic buying: first from fears of tariff price hikes (and Ford’s strong incentives), and lately from the EV credit expiration.

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