The growing popularity of Hovertrax, Inventist's "Segway without a pole," has not gone unnoticed to the original maker, Mashable reported. Segway filed a patent infringement lawsuit in a Delaware district court against Inventist for its alleged "willful blindness" in the manufacture of its products. In addition to the Hovertrax, Inventist's other product, the Solowheel, is also in Segway's sights.
The Hovertrax has been seen under celebrity feet in recent sightings. Everyone from Jamie Foxx to Justin Bieber has become fans of the two-wheeled device. The simple fact is that Hovertrax has appealed to a much larger audience than Segway. These "hoverboards," whatever a hoverboard really is, is a commercial hit, as Gizmodo reported.
But the lawsuits do not end there. Inventist has also filed its own lawsuit against Soibatian Corporation for their product, the IO Hawk. The similarities of both products in appearance and action are quite obvious-they are basically Segways without the pole. Again.
Segway's niche is starting to get crowded since these products already available in the market are still not enough to satisfy demand. There are now many "hoverboard" makers out there and some of them are also starting to gain a considerable celebrity following. The Phunkeeduck, for instance, is also just a smaller version of the Segway without the handlebar.
Segway's lawsuit versus Inventist centers on US Patent 6,302,230 that covers the method of transportation "particularly to balancing vehicles and methods for transporting individuals over ground having a surface that may be irregular," which The Verge reported.
The Invenist lawsuit against Soibatian, on the other hand, also uses its own patent for the Hovertrax as basis for the complaint. The patent is for the use of a two-foot control method on the device. In comparison, Segway's case focuses more on its balance-monitoring system. It is worth noting that Inventist has already filed lawsuits against many other makers of similar products.
