An employee restocks clothes on display at the Lululemon Athletica sports apparel store on Regent Street in London.
Simon Dawson | Bloomberg | Getty Images
Lululemon has filed an anticipated patent lawsuit against Peloton, in a growing feud over sports bras and leggings designs.
In a case filed Monday in the the Central District of California, Lululemon said it is seeking injunction against Peloton’s infringement of its intellectual property rights. It’s also asking for damages and other monetary relief.
The suit comes just a few days after Peloton sought a court’s declaration that it has not infringed on any of Lululemon’s patents. Peloton has maintained that its own merchandise is easy to decipher from Lululemon’s. It also said Lululemon’s clothing designs are too “obvious” to merit patent protection.
The quarrel between the two companies comes after Peloton earlier this year rolled out a massive marketing blitz for its own apparel line. The connected fitness equipment manufacturer for years sold apparel from brands such as Nike and Lululemon, with its “P” logo tacked on. But it recently decided to invest in manufacturing its own leggings, sports bras and workout tanks for women and men.
Lululemon said Peloton has infringed on six of its patented designs in the process.
“Peloton did not spend the time, effort, and expense to create an original product line,” Lululemon said in the lawsuit. “Instead, Peloton imitated several of Lululemon’s innovative designs and sold knock-offs of Lululemon’s products, claiming them as its own.”
A Peloton spokesperson did not immediately respond to CNBC’s request for comment.
Earlier this month, Lululemon’s lawyers sent a note to Peloton saying the company would sue unless Peloton stopped selling its new clothes.
This story is developing. Please check back for updates.
