Tonal Sues Smart Home Gym Rival Speediance
Chinese brand Speediance secured $10 million this year and is eyeing the U.S. market as a key priority
Tonal, the smart home gym company, has filed a lawsuit against competitor Speediance, alleging the rival brand infringes on its patents and is engaging in false and misleading advertising.
The China-based Speediance, founded in 2020, is also alleged to tout itself as the “Tonal killer” and alter and/or delete reviews on its website that aren’t five stars, according to the 73-page suit filed in a Texas federal court earlier this month. The suit further accuses Speediance of falsifying its Amazon reviews of its “Gym Monster” product.
Speediance raised $10 million over the summer, identifying the U.S. market as a key priority for its smart fitness brand and saying it would use the capital to improve its product line and market expansion. The funding was led by Oriza Seed and Haiyi Investment and included participation from Frees Fund and Rongda CVC.
Tonal takes particular issue with patents that it says Speediance copied, such as its dynamic weight mode and innovative handle connector patents.
According to Tonal’s suit, Speediance “directly targets current and prospective Tonal customers, advertising itself as the ‘Tonal killer’ and emphasizing the infringing product’s purportedly similar features, including its digital weight system, electric motor, adaptive weight modes, interactive content, smart accessories, and safety features.”
Tonal is requesting a trial jury as it seeks a monetary award to compensate the smart home gym for what it claims are damages resulting from Speediance’s infringement of its patents and is requesting the manufacturing and sale of Speediance’s at-home fitness device be blocked.
Tonal recently inked a deal with Best Buy to sell its fitness hardware and accessories on the retailer’s website. The move adds to its existing retail footprint, which includes an in-store deal with Nordstrom.
