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Peloton is going to court to try to protect its head start in “connected fitness" as challengers move in, the Wall Street Journal reports.
Why it matters: "It’s a premise that has powered many upstarts in recent years: Uber is a tech company, not a taxi company; WeWork's a tech company, not a real-estate company; Tesla’s a tech company, not a car company," the Journal notes.
- "Peloton’s internet-driven exercise scheme underpins the company’s fundamental pitch: That at its core, it’s a tech company, not just another get-fit program."
Yes, but: "Intellectual-property disputes are tough to resolve in the fitness world, because most workout techniques are based on decades-old concepts that are hard to patent," The Journal adds.
- But Peloton wants to enforce patents on its leaderboard (which compares your performance with other riders in a virtual class), metrics (output and cadence) and bike design.
Go deeper: Balance sheets and profits seem to matter to investors again