Wahoo Fitness this week dismissed a patent infringement lawsuit against competing indoor trainer brand JetBlack.

On October 3, Wahoo sued both companies for infringing patents related to its Kickr series of smart turbo trainers.

The lawsuit against Zwift was filed in connection with the Zwift Hub, a new smart trainer announced a few weeks ago on September 6. According to documents filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware, Wahoo believes that Zwift infringes three patents, specifically patents 10,046,222, 10,933,290, and 11,090,542.

At the same time, a lawsuit was filed against JetBlack alleging infringement of the same patents on the brand's Volt trainers.

In creating the hub, Zwift initially planned to design its own trainer and smart bike, but an unexpected softening of the indoor cycling market after the pandemic boom forced the company to cancel the project along with a round of layoffs. In the end, Zwift licensed the design of an existing affordable smart indoor trainer, the JetBlack Volt, and made some minor changes to affect compatibility and durability.

It is worth noting here, however, that the JetBlack Volt was already on the market two years before the lawsuit was filed.

Even more noteworthy is that the Zwift Hub was sold to the public on October 3, the same day the lawsuit was filed, for more than 40% less than the Kickr Core. This triggered Wahoo's action, and it is widely believed that the JetBlack case was simply collateral damage swept up by the main target.

DC Rainmaker reports that the lawsuit against JetBlack has now been "voluntarily dismissed, and there is no confirmation as to what, if any, settlement has been reached." This is in line with the continued pursuit of court action against Zwift.

The Zwift Hub is a direct competitor to Wahoo's Kickr Core, with similar top-level specs, including 1800 watts of maximum resistance and 2% accuracy. It also looks similar, with the drive wheel and flywheel in similar positions and two diagonal legs that extend downward to form horizontally deployable "feet."

In the weeks after the patent was first filed, Zwift denied all infringement. As a result, the case is scheduled to be decided at a hearing on April 11, 2023 at 9:00 AM.

The news comes on a day of rumors of more layoffs, this time on the part of Wahoo, marking the brand's second job loss in 12 months and suggesting that the market continues to struggle in the current economic climate.