Strava sues Garmin over Segments and heatmap features
Strava has filed a lawsuit against Garmin that targets the heart of Garmin’s ecosystem. The case focuses on two key features, Segments and heatmaps and includes a demand to stop selling many of Garmin’s most popular devices.
Strava claims patent infringement over Segments and heatmaps
As first detailed by DC Rainmaker, the lawsuit was filed on September 30, 2025, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado. The case number is 1:25-cv-03074. At the centre of the complaint are two patent disputes: one about Strava’s Segments system, and another about heatmaps and popularity routing. Strava says Garmin used both without permission, and in doing so, also violated a cooperation agreement signed in 2015.
Strava’s Segment patent, number 9,116,922, was filed in 2011 and granted in 2015. It covers the concept of user-defined GPS segments with time-based performance comparisons. However, Garmin introduced its own Segments system in 2014 with the launch of the Edge 1000, before officially partnering with Strava the following year. That partnership brought Strava Live Segments to Garmin devices under a Master Cooperation Agreement (MCA).
As part of the MCA, Garmin agreed not to show both Garmin Segments and Strava Segments concurrently. Strava now argues that Garmin broke this agreement by expanding its own Segments functionality beyond what was permitted. It claims Garmin studied the Strava implementation, then used it as a blueprint to build a competing system.
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The second part of the dispute involves heatmaps. Strava cites two patents: 9,297,651 (filed 2014, granted 2016) and 9,778,053 (filed 2016, granted 2017). These cover the generation of user activity maps and popularity-based routing. According to the complaint, Garmin’s Trendline and Course suggestions in Connect and on-device routing infringe these patents.
However, as detailed by DC Rainmaker, Garmin implemented a version of heatmaps in Garmin Connect as early as 2013. External services like RaceShape were also offering segment comparison tools at that time. That raises questions about whether Strava’s patents cover genuinely novel ideas, or if they were granted despite earlier examples already being in use.
Strava says the alleged infringements have caused lost revenue, erosion of competitive advantage, and damage to its brand. The complaint includes a request for financial compensation and permanent bans on Garmin using or distributing the contested features.
Rising tensions and a clash of ecosystems
The court case doesn’t appear out of the blue. Strava sent Garmin formal notices of infringement in June and July 2025. That followed a series of disagreements between the two companies, especially around data use and branding.
In late 2024, Strava introduced API changes that disrupted many third-party apps. Garmin was one of the more vocal critics, objecting to how Strava handled data attribution and how that data was being used to train AI systems.
By July 2025, Garmin responded by launching stricter API brand guidelines of its own, requiring anyone using Garmin’s data to display appropriate attribution. Around the same time, Garmin introduced Trails+, a new feature within the Garmin Connect+ subscription. Trails+ includes community heatmaps and popularity routes, which Strava may have seen as a direct competitor to its premium services.
Some of the friction may stem from longer-term strategic shifts. Garmin has moved deeper into software and platform services, while Strava has shown signs of tightening its control over its ecosystem. The lawsuit could be part of a larger shift in how Strava approaches partners, especially ahead of a possible IPO.
What Strava wants from the court
Strava’s lawsuit asks for more than just compensation. It seeks a permanent injunction to stop Garmin from selling any device that includes Segments or heatmap-style functionality. That would cover pretty much the entire lineup of Garmin fitness and cycling gear.
The company also wants Garmin to stop using, importing, or distributing features tied to the asserted patents. This includes routing tools like Trendline, Courses and popularity-based navigation.
Importantly, Strava says user-facing services will not be disrupted for now. Syncing between Garmin devices and Strava will continue. The legal action, they say, targets Garmin’s use of features at the platform level, not end-user connections.
That may be a necessary reassurance. Strava’s platform depends heavily on Garmin uploads. A breakdown in that relationship would hurt both companies, but likely affect Strava more in the short term.
What happens next
At this stage, Garmin has not issued a public statement. But historically, it has fought off similar lawsuits. The company has thousands of patents, a large in-house legal team, and a strong record of either defending its features or getting patents invalidated. One likely step will be a petition for inter partes review (IPR), where Garmin challenges the validity of Strava’s asserted claims before the U.S. Patent Trial and Appeal Board.
For now, nothing changes for users. Devices still sync. Features still work. The legal process is likely to unfold over many months, possibly years, unless there’s an early settlement or court decision.
If Garmin decides to push back hard, a countersuit is also possible. And if Garmin restricts Strava’s API access in retaliation, that would pose a real challenge for Strava’s long-term strategy.
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