Jawbone said it would, and how it did: sued Fitbit in the International Trade Court in an attempt to keep Fitbit’s products from being imported. Since Fitbits (like most, if not all, electronics products) are made abroad, a victory would essentially keep Fitbit off the U.S. market.
Jawbone has previously sued Fitbit, the market leader in smart bands, for poaching its employees and encouraging the recruits to bring trade secrets with them, and for infringing on patents. Both those suits are pending, and would likely take some time to work through the courts. The ITC complaint, however, asks for a ruling within 15 months and a cease-and-desist order before that.
The stock market doesn’t appear to be worried. Jawbone’s first suits didn’t keep Fitbit’s IPO from being a success last month: a $20 price peg immediately opened at $30, and the stock has been floating around $40 ever since. Jawbone, on the other hand, has had a tough year. Its UP3 tracker was months late and badly received, and the similar UP4 (with an NFC payment chip) was announced before its predecessor ever shipped.
