A new federal court order has given San Francisco-based TRX greater legal grounds on which the company can enforce its signature equipment patents and trademarks.
In mid-December, a judgment in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois validated three signature elements of TRX's Suspension Trainer technology. This includes its door anchor, foot pedal and handle grip combination, and its inelastic utility strap.
The ruling will help TRX thwart alleged instances of infringement by sellers on e-commerce platforms such as Amazon, according to a Dec. 18 media release from TRX.
"This order is a big win for brand innovators and customers alike, and it continues to put the fraudsters and cheaters in not only the fitness industry but the broader universe on notice," TRX founder Randy Hetrick said in the release. "We and other brands like TRX have spent significant capital to develop the market and invest in research, product innovation and consumer education, and it is important that impostors are eliminated for the safety of consumers. Infringement is a broader public policy issue, and I’m hopeful that Amazon will continue to be a leader in helping enforce this and allow entrepreneurs like myself to capitalize on our efforts.”
In the release, TRX President John Hutchison echoed Hetrick's statement, adding that the judgment will improve the speed and success rate of any future lawsuits against counterfeiters.
"Moving forward, [this] provides us with further ammunition to pursue and effectively eliminate the countless number of counterfeiters who are duping consumers with unreliable, and often dangerous, 'knock offs' of TRX products," Hutchison said. "It also gives us confidence that we can continue investing in future innovations and protect our hard work and ingenuity."
In January 2019, TRX recapitalized its business through a strategic growth capital investment from private equity firm Equity38, Newport Beach, California. Equity38 structured its investment as a management buyout of TRX’s previous investors with the aim of maintaining TRX’s existing infrastructure while lending TRX the resources to further develop its brand and footprint.