Garmin sues TomTom on patent infringement

In what has become an inevitable sign of the times, yet another market has reached that all important threshold whereby the major players begin suing one another. This time the market is GPS and the players are US-based Garmin suing rival Dutch outfit TomTom. They've been slugging it out in Europe for years with TomTom going on the offensive recently in the US with a blitz of TeeVee ads. Garmin is calling for unspecified financial damages in their claim that TomTom is illegally using five US-patented Garmin technologies designed to "calculate which streets are important enough to a driver’s route to be displayed." Analysts have chimed-in calling this potentially bad news for TomTom who would have to stop marketing their products in the US should they lose the case not to mention the resources tied up in fighting this claim. Well, at least this time the company protecting its patents actually manufactures goods unlike some other high-profile cases we likes to follow.

[Brian @ Feb 10th 2006 9:44AM]

This is good news because those commericals are slowly killing me.

[BlueLightBandit @ Feb 10th 2006 10:15AM]

Brian Brian, are you sure they're killing you?

I mean seriously Brian Brian, it can't be that bad.

Can it Brian Brian?

-Sorry, couldn't resist.

[Steve @ Feb 10th 2006 10:24AM]

Yeah, well, the difference is that TomTom's products are actually *good*. I switched from the latest in a series of Garmin GPSes to TomTom's Palm-based Navigator 5 software last year and I don't miss a single thing about the Garmin units. The TomTom feature set is great, the configurability is great, the Internet connectivity (auto-routing around traffic jams) is great. Garmin's stuff is slow, clunky, and awkward in comparison.

I don't care who came up with this stuff first, but I know who's done a better job of it. If TomTom has to stop selling in the US, I'm glad I bought mine already.

[Zorg @ Feb 10th 2006 10:43AM]

This is BAD news for me, because of Garmin's contemptuous attitude toward my Treo and my Mac. If they succeed, it helps tighten the Microsoft monopoly since TomTom is the best alternative for non-Microsoft users. Does this mean that all the lawyers formerly working for SCO will now start helping Garmin?

[Glancing Aft @ Feb 10th 2006 10:47AM]

I wish Garmin luck, I think they are a great company, and while I hate patent cases, I hope they win this if they deserve too...

[epp_b @ Feb 10th 2006 11:00AM]

Well, looks like Garmin has found the popular way to "compete". Too bad, they're otherwise a decent company with decent products. I can now say I'm proud that I sold the Garmin iQue I used to have.

[John Doe @ Feb 10th 2006 11:04AM]

My one wish in life is that the USPO would shrivel up and die. Someone needs to go on the air and dare terrorists around the world to take out the USPO. Just claim that its terrorist proof, the most important site in America, and that US business world would collapse without it. The last statement might not be too far off. What would businesses do if they couldn't sue one another for patent infringement o.O

[Reggie @ Feb 10th 2006 11:07AM]

Zorg,

What are you talking about?

The navigation app found in the Gamin Palm OS iQue's is coming to the Treo:
http://www.garmin.com/pressroom/mobile/010306c.html

Also, Garmin is adding support for the Mac:
http://www.garmin.com/pressroom/corporate/011006.html

[NCTRNL @ Feb 10th 2006 11:21AM]

Not only is the Garmin Que app already out for the Treo, like Reggie said, Garmin is currently working on Mac support. Name another GPS manufacture that is doing that. Also, you've got to be kidding me if you switched from anything Garmin makes to anything TomTom makes. They're products are so damn hard to use it's not even funny...

[Steven @ Feb 10th 2006 11:33AM]

Zorg is correct when it comes to Garmin and the Mac.
Just because a company says they're "working" on Mac support doesn't mean we'll see it anytime soon.

Just look at TivoToGo for the Mac. They've been promising it ever since it came out for PC and it's only now in Alpha?

[consumer_q @ Feb 10th 2006 11:49AM]

I have to agree, the Tomtom stuff is much nicer with regards to user interface.
But even if they lose, its not like the satellites suddenly stop working, right?

[john @ Feb 10th 2006 12:42PM]

Well I'm glad I sold my Garmin 2610 and don't miss a thing! I moved up to Lawrance iway 500C and this is one ot the best units I have ever seen.

Garmin sucks! if that's the way they are trying to stamp out competition. That's the best part of the business.

Way to go Tom Tom wish you all the luck! IMHO Tom Tom is much better and more affordable than Garmin units

[allen @ Feb 10th 2006 12:45PM]

tomtom is trash. i liked them until i actually owned one of their devices. i got a tomtom go700 for Christmas and had nothing but problems. anyone who has actually tried to contact their customer support will tell you that it is basically non-existent. their maps didn�t have my house on it...not big deal its somewhat of a new area (2 years). because of this i downloaded additional maps of my specific area. long story short, the product code that they sent me to activate it doesn�t work. i emailed their cs and didn�t get a response back for SIX WEEKS and all they did was tell me to call them...by that time i had already returned the device. i never received a refund for the extra maps that i downloaded. the bluetooth link also didn�t work with any of my phones. i could get my contacts but i couldn�t get the text messages to show up. Also could not connect to the internet to get "plus" services (traffic)...tried it on my treo700w, samsung i730, razr and phones from everyone in bestbuy's geek squad. sorry for the rant...i hate tomtom

[him @ Feb 10th 2006 12:50PM]

actualy Garmin is closer than you might think to mac support, their purchase of motionbased is proof, safari is already set-up and able to work with their new hand gps/trainer units. they were showing and I used my self the software at macworld. as far as porting their software over, that is supposed to be available next month in march if i remember correctly but we will hae to wait and see. even though i like tomtom, i can't give to too much support for their mac support, don't forget that they arrived really late to the mac support party and then immediately forced tamtam out of business which had been making software/drivers that supported the mac os. they too are not without blood on their hands, greed gets the best of ever com[any!

[moneynottalent @ Feb 10th 2006 2:09PM]

I saw the features they were claiming rights over (e.g. dead reckoning, moving labels, route avoidance etc) -- every other satnav on the market uses them including the Kenwood in my Subaru, who do not pay royalties as far as I know? So why not sue Kenwood, who have been doing this in the US for much longer??

Because they are losing tons of share to TomTom in their home market, are making no headway against them in Europe. Not Kenwood. Shocking behaviour. Garmin were cool once, now they are desperate.

[saleh @ Feb 10th 2006 3:23PM]

this is retarded.

i like garmin's tech support, but their products are near-awful. the latest maps take you to the wrong places, which is not what you want to do. they want you to make an extra 20 turns to save 10 feet off your distance.

and i have to agree with moneynottalent. half the stuff is used by other companies, and let's face it, route calculations etc have been part of computer science since the beginning of civiliation. what's next, patent 2+2 < 1+2 ?

[Chris K @ Feb 10th 2006 3:58PM]

How could Garmin know that TomTom used their algorithms without reverse engineering the TomTom software? Isn't that illegal these days?

Countersue?

[knutsman @ Feb 10th 2006 4:29PM]

#16... Garmin didn't need to reverse engineer. TomTom is GPLed. Hmmm... free software vs enabling IP fishing expeditions... TomTom may stop GPLing new releases because of this?

[Brian Puccio @ Feb 10th 2006 8:49PM]

Somehow, I think that these patents all fail the obvious implementation test.

[gary @ Feb 11th 2006 9:34AM]

Garmin are almost non existent in the automobile GPS market in Europe, they are only known for their hand held stuff and they arn't very good either.

I know loads of people with TomTom's and people with NavMan's TomTom is the best GPS device out there and hopefully when galileo comes online, should get even better.

[Zaid @ Feb 12th 2006 11:28AM]

Nice products, bright ideas and short time to market do not need the protection of patents to obtain a commercial success. Once the others are up to speed you would rollout your new product and thus keep ahead of the sales.

I feel sad thinking at all these precious resources wasted in this patenting business, and all the troubles it causes.

Thanks for the news. The Garmin brand has just become a little attractive to me.

[Dean @ Feb 12th 2006 2:39PM]

Allen - that sucks about your TomTom tech support problems..
But, in my opinion, the best thing about the TomTom.. is that I NEVER HAD TO USE TECH SUPPORT, or open a manual or anything - it just works, and works great... the maps all that current.. but still they work.
And thats whats gonna suck about this lawsuit... I can see it sucking money away from them updating their maps, and why update US maps if in a few months (years?) they won't be able to sell their device here.

Hacked map upgrades anyone?

[m @ Feb 12th 2006 11:16PM]

Garmin devices are a better value for money.

[Joey @ Feb 16th 2006 1:40PM]

After reading the statements, there is a big misconception among many of you. Garmin had record breaking sales last year, released more products than ever, steadily increasing stock, and is the leader in Auto-nav in the US. Yet many of you refer to Garmin as deperate, and how bad they're getting beat. I had to have a couple chuckles when reading some of the posts. Numbers to not lie. Garmin is still the most popular Auto-GPS in the states. But yes, they have increasing competition with the Auto market. Garmin is protecting their inventions; that's what "Patents" are for. If Tom Tom is guilty then the courts will show this, as simple as that.