Prior to smartwatches becoming so popular, Fitbit and Jawbone were some of the more prominent brands around when it came to wearables, although from what we can tell, Fitbit has clearly pulled ahead of the competition since. That being said, Jawbone is probably one of Fitbit’s more close competitors, which is why it wasn’t surprising to learn that Jawbone had sued Fitbit over alleged theft of its trade secrets.
However it looks like Fitbit is in the clear, at least for now, as ITC Judge Dee Lord has ruled in their favor. According to Reuters, the judge ruled that Fitbit did not violate the Tariff Act because “no party has been shown to have misappropriated any trade secret,” meaning that it looks like Fitbit has been cleared of any wrongdoing, at least as far as allegedly stealing trade secrets from Jawbone is concerned.
In a statement made by Fitbit’s CEO James Park, “From the outset of this litigation, we have maintained that Jawbone’s allegations were utterly without merit and nothing more than a desperate attempt by Jawbone to disrupt Fitbit’s momentum to compensate for their own lack of success in the market.” Unsurprisingly, Jawbone isn’t thrilled by the results and will be seeking review of the ruling and is still planning a broader case against Fitbit in California’s state court.
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