Strava and Garmin have been pals for years, but the activity-tracking app is taking the smartwatch king to court over alleged copyright infringements. Garmin, which powers a massive share of smartwatches and bike computers that feed data into Strava, is being sued for using two of Strava’s patents without permission: segments and heat maps.
The lawsuit doesn’t come as a total surprise — it’s the latest blow in a decade-old tension that’s simmered since the two fitness giants signed a Master Cooperation Agreement (MCA) back in 2015. So what exactly is Garmin under fire for? And why is Strava going after its oldest partner in the race?
Breaking down the Strava-Garmin lawsuit
The segment-struggle and the heat-map-headache
This lawsuit stems from some built-up tension. Back in July, Garmin announced new developer guidelines that impacted all of its API partners — third-party services that use a specialized connection to automatically sync data from Garmin devices.
These new rules required that any data collected from a Garmin device had to be explicitly attributed to Garmin on partner platforms. So, if you logged a run on your Forerunner and synced it to Strava, Garmin’s name would be on the activity in that app.
Garmin gave Strava (and all its partners) until November 1, 2025, to comply. As you can imagine, Strava did not like that. Its Chief Product Officer took to r/Strava in an attempt to clear things up:
Salazar justified the legal action by saying that Garmin cared “more about their marketing” than the user’s experience. Strava considered Garmin’s move “blatant advertising,” and essentially couldn’t stomach the move. To the courtroom they go.
Garmin has not commented on the pending legal actions so far.
Strava and Garmin have clashed before. In fact, the legal drama between them dates back over a decade. In 2015, Strava patented segments — short stretches of road or trail where users could compare their performance against others (or themselves).
However, in early 2014, Garmin released its own segments feature on a cycling device, which prompted the two companies to sign a Master Cooperation Agreement (MCA) in 2015 that essentially let Garmin use Strava’s more popular Live Segments. Problem solved, right?
Wrong.
Strava’s September 30 lawsuit (10 years later) alleges that Garmin “expanded well beyond that agreement’s scope,” per DC Rainmaker. In essence, Strava claims Garmin’s continued use of its own branded segments violates the original deal. The puzzling piece, though, is that this specific feature is unpopular and (plainly) too old to care about, per some user commentary. But there’s more.
The other half of the lawsuit revolves around heat maps, which is a Strava feature that shows where other users in your area run or ride, which can help you find popular routes. Strava claimed that Garmin infringed upon its 2016 patent there by using heat maps and other popularity routing tools on several of its devices, such as its Edge cycling computers and the Forerunner, Fenix, and Epix smartwatches.
This is where it gets messy, and where some are raising their brows at Strava. Some say Strava doesn’t have much ground to stand on because Garmin actually had heat maps and popularity routing first. In fact, Garmin Connect had heat maps as early as 2013, which was well before Strava filed its patent in 2014. Whether Strava should’ve even been granted that patent in the first place is up for debate, and it’s likely this part of the lawsuit won’t hold up in court.
What it means for you
Strava’s ultimatum
Right now, the battleground doesn’t look especially solid under Strava’s feet — but that hasn’t stopped it from firing back. Strava is seeking damages and a permanent injunction, which would bar Garmin from selling any wearables that include segments or heat map features.
Pending a resolution or settlement, Garmin users don’t have to worry about any disruptions to their devices or the features’ availability. All current devices (like Edge bike computers or Forerunner, Fenix, and Epix watches) will remain operational and stay synced. Garmin is the legal heavyweight here, but if Strava wins the case down the road, the fitness titan may be forced to remove or significantly alter the segments and heatmap features on their devices (usually done via software update). It’s that, or cease selling nearly all their most popular devices.
The player taking the biggest risk here is Strava. The social-forward fitness app needs Garmin, as its users make up a substantial source of Strava’s income. If Garmin retaliates by turning off the API, Strava will lose a huge chunk of its users. Strava doesn’t hold the most power — it just so happens to be the property owner that stood up and proclaimed, “not on my lawn.”
Regardless, legal disputes like these can take months (or even years) to resolve, so hold onto your wearables and Kudos — they’re the mortals living in peace while the titans fight above. For now, at least.
