MARSHALL, Texas (BRAIN) — Mad Dogg Athletics Inc., one of the pioneers in studio cycling, is suing Peloton for patent infringement. Mad Dogg says Peloton infringes on two of its patents on electronic stationary bikes.
The suit charges that the Peloton Bike, launched in 2014, and the Peloton Bike+, launched in September, infringe on its patents US 9,694,240 and 10,137,328. MDA is demanding a jury trial and asking for damages and legal fees, and for an order enjoining Peltoon from continuing to infringe on the patents.
MDA is based in Venice, California, and Peloton is based in New York City, but the infringement lawsuit is filed in the US District Court for the Eastern District of Texas in Marshall. The court is well-known as the "patent litigation capital of America." The suit argues the venue is appropriate because Peloton does business in East Texas, including operating a 27,000 square-foot campus and a retail storefront in Plano.
Icon Fitness, maker of NordicTrak bikes, also filed suit against Peloton for patent infringement in October in Delaware; Peloton also is suing Icon, alleging Icon tried to steal its advertising plans from a contractor.
In the 1990s, MDA licensed its trademarks and services to Schwinn. When Schwinn went bankrupt, it resumed marketing on its own. In 2008 it launched its first electronic home stationary bike, the eSpinner.
MDA went bankrupt in 2018; a bankruptcy court approved its reorganization plan in June 2020.
