• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

Trendingnow

1

The U.S. spent $30 billion to ditch textbooks for laptops and tablets: The result is the first generation less cognitively capable than their parents

2

Current price of oil as of July 13, 2026

3

Current price of silver as of Monday, July 13, 2026

1

The U.S. spent $30 billion to ditch textbooks for laptops and tablets: The result is the first generation less cognitively capable than their parents

2

Current price of oil as of July 13, 2026

3

Current price of silver as of Monday, July 13, 2026
TechFitbit

Jawbone Says Criminal Grand Jury Investigating Rival Fitbit

By
Aaron Pressman
Aaron Pressman
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Aaron Pressman
Aaron Pressman
Down Arrow Button Icon
February 7, 2017, 9:28 AM ET
Fitbit Flex 2
Fitbit Flex 2Courtesy of Fitbit
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

Jawbone, the struggling maker of fitness tracking devices, has accused larger rival Fitbit of being under criminal investigation for stealing its trade secrets.

Jawbone is suing Fitbit and five former employees in California state court over the alleged theft of trade secrets. In a court filing dated Feb. 1, the company says evidence of the theft by the defecting employees has resulted in “a federal criminal investigation against Fitbit.”

The 27-page filing, meant to rebut Fitbit’s request that the court dismiss Jawbone’s lawsuit, was earlier reported by Bloomberg. Shares of Fitbit (FIT) lost 1% in premarket trading on Tuesday to $5.87, only a few cents above an all-time low reached last week of $5.81.

Get Data Sheet, Fortune’s technology newsletter.

“Each of the defendants has been, for more than five months, the subject of a criminal grand jury investigation regarding theft of Jawbone’s trade secrets that is being conducted by the Department of Justice and the Department of Homeland Security,” Jawbone said in its filing.

Fitbit said it was cooperating with an investigation by the U.S. Attorney’s office but called the allegations “fictional” and said they were identical to charges Jawbone made to the U.S. International Trade Commission that were later rejected.

“After a full examination of the issues and Fitbit’s resounding victories at the ITC, coupled with Jawbone’s complete failure in the marketplace and reported insolvency, Jawbone is now attempting to exert leverage against Fitbit in civil litigation pending in the California state court,” the company said in a statement. “Fitbit is cooperating with the U.S. Attorney’s Office to demonstrate, once again, that these allegations are without merit.”

Both companies have been struggling amidst a weakening market for the once hot-selling category of wrist-worn fitness trackers. Jawbone has stopped selling fitness trackers for consumers altogether, while Fitbit has seen its stock price plummet 70% since it went public almost two years ago, due to slowing sales and sinking profit margins.

In the California lawsuit, Jawbone has accused Fitbit of hiring away at least five of its former employees, who it says brought with them hundreds of thousands of confidential files when they joined in 2015.

The two rivals have been engaged in a long-running legal battle across several venues. The International Trade Commission rejected Jawbone’s patent violation and trade secret allegations last year, and Fitbit dropped its counter-case at the commission in December.

Judge Harold Kahn in San Francisco is scheduled to hear from both sides on Feb. 15 to discuss Fitbit’s motion to dismiss the case.

(This story was updated at 11:50 a.m. on February 7, 2017 with Fitbit’s statement.)

About the Author
By Aaron Pressman
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

Latest in Tech

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in Tech

Jony Ive (left), formerly with Apple and now with OpenAI, standing next to Laurene Powell Jobs, the widow of Apple founder Steve Jobs, at an event in 2022.
AIOpenAI
Stolen laptops, data breaches, secret moles, and recruiting-as-espionage. Here are the wildest claims in Apple’s lawsuit against OpenAI
By Emily ForliniJuly 13, 2026
10 hours ago
Elon Musk and Sam Altman are accusing each other of scamming investors as SpaceX and OpenAI jockey to lead AI revolution
AIBillionaires
Elon Musk and Sam Altman are accusing each other of scamming investors as SpaceX and OpenAI jockey to lead AI revolution
By Marco Quiroz-GutierrezJuly 13, 2026
10 hours ago
u
PoliticsSocial Media
Europe to social media platforms: make yourself safe for kids under 13, somehow
By Lorne Cook, Kelvin Chan and The Associated PressJuly 13, 2026
14 hours ago
Meta’s AI data center cost went from $10 billion to $50 billion in under 2 years—and split the town in two
Big TechMeta
Meta’s AI data center cost went from $10 billion to $50 billion in under 2 years—and split the town in two
By Sydney LakeJuly 13, 2026
14 hours ago
b
CommentaryWorld Cup
Columbia Business School professors: What the Balogun red card can teach us about AI and judgment
By Oded Netzer, Christopher Frank and Paul MagnoneJuly 13, 2026
14 hours ago
‘We are driving in the fog’: Hundreds of economists admit they’re flying blind on AI
Economydisruption
‘We are driving in the fog’: Hundreds of economists admit they’re flying blind on AI
By Nick LichtenbergJuly 13, 2026
16 hours ago

Most Popular

The U.S. spent $30 billion to ditch textbooks for laptops and tablets: The result is the first generation less cognitively capable than their parents
Innovation
The U.S. spent $30 billion to ditch textbooks for laptops and tablets: The result is the first generation less cognitively capable than their parents
By Sasha RogelbergJuly 12, 2026
2 days ago
Current price of oil as of July 13, 2026
Personal Finance
Current price of oil as of July 13, 2026
By Joseph HostetlerJuly 13, 2026
20 hours ago
Current price of silver as of Monday, July 13, 2026
Personal Finance
Current price of silver as of Monday, July 13, 2026
By Joseph HostetlerJuly 13, 2026
20 hours ago
Trump embraces Australian retirement system backed by Larry Fink
Personal Finance
Trump embraces Australian retirement system backed by Larry Fink
By Brianna Sosa and BloombergJuly 12, 2026
1 day ago
How Pete Hegseth's DEI order just put Scouting America's future at stake
North America
How Pete Hegseth's DEI order just put Scouting America's future at stake
By Seth T. Kannarr, Derek H. Alderman and The ConversationJuly 13, 2026
11 hours ago
Ex-PepsiCo CEO Indra Nooyi worked from midnight until 5 a.m. as a receptionist to pay for her Yale degree—and she says ‘respect went up’ because of it
Success
Ex-PepsiCo CEO Indra Nooyi worked from midnight until 5 a.m. as a receptionist to pay for her Yale degree—and she says ‘respect went up’ because of it
By Preston ForeJuly 6, 2026
8 days ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.