Peloton was just hit with a patent-infringement lawsuit by the maker of NordicTrack bikes, escalating the legal battle between the two at-home fitness brands

• ICON Health & Fitness, which makes NordicTrack fitness bikes, sued Peloton on Thursday alleging patent infringement.
• The lawsuit claims Peloton used two features for its new Bike Plus, a swivel monitor and remote resistance control, that were originally developed and patented by ICON.
• Peloton itself sued ICON in May, alleging it copied its interactive fitness program and engaged in false advertising.
• Peloton said it would fight the lawsuit, and characterized the claims as "a retaliatory filing intended to deflect attention away from ICON's blatant infringement of Peloton's leaderboard technology and other deceptive practices."

Peloton is getting sued by a competitor that's alleging the company's popular exercise bikes infringed on its patents.

The company that makes NordicTrack at-home fitness bikes, ICON Health & Fitness, filed a lawsuit against Peloton on Thursday, accusing it of infringing on two ICON-developed features.

The maker said in the suit that Peloton used patented features — an auto-follow that controls the resistance of its bikes and swivel screens for easier off-bike exercise — originally designed by ICON.

Peloton announced these new features in September when unveiling its new $2,500 Bike Plus.

"ICON is unfortunately accustomed to having companies copy its technology," the suit reads. "Some companies, like Peloton, have built (at least in part) entire businesses on the back of ICON's patented technology."

ICON declined to provide further comment.

Peloton itself sued ICON in May alleging it copied its interactive fitness program and engaged in false advertising. Peloton also sued Flywheel, another popular exercise bike company, accusing it of creating a copycat version of its proprietary bike. Last year, the National Music Publishers' Association accused Peloton of using thousands of songs without a license, and sued the company seeking $300 million. The two parties settled the case in February.

"Today's filing is nothing more than a continuation of the litigation that Peloton filed against ICON earlier this year, and is a retaliatory filing intended to deflect attention away from ICON's blatant infringement of Peloton's leaderboard technology and other deceptive practices," said Peloton's outside litigation counsel, Steven Feldman of Hueston Hennigan LLP. "We will vigorously defend this case in court."

Peloton enjoyed a 66% growth in sales in the third quarter this year after the coronavirus crisis incentivized at-home fitness in place of gyms. The company is currently valued at over $37 billion after going public in September 2019.

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