Motive Scores Legal Victory Against Samsara in Patent Case
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Motive Technologies at the U.S. International Trade Commission, where an administrative law judge ruled the trucking technology company did not infringe on any patents held by rival Samsara.
Judge Doris Johnson Hines issued the determination Sept. 8, ruling that Motive did not infringe any valid Samsara patents and that eight of the nine claims asserted by Samsara were invalid. The decision also said Samsara failed to prove sufficient domestic industry investment tied to the patents, a key requirement for Section 337 cases.
The outcome is a major win for Motive, which has faced multiple challenges from competitors in recent years. It also represents a setback for Samsara, a developer of telematics and fleet safety technology that has accused Motive of copying its inventions. While the ITC ruling clears Motive of infringement, Samsara’s separate lawsuit in federal court in Delaware remains active. That case, filed in 2024, alleges patent violations, fraud and false advertising.
Reacting to the ruling, Samsara said, “There are various actions pending against Motive, including claims for unfair competition, trade secret theft, false advertising, breach of contract and other patent infringement claims. This preliminary ruling in the ITC case does not impact our other ongoing legal actions against Motive, where we will continue to vigorously pursue our claims and ensure that Motive competes fairly and legally. The preliminary ITC ruling remains subject to review by the full Commission, and we are evaluating all options for further review.”
Samsara has argued in court filings that Motive “covertly stole its technology patents and adopted them as its own,” and that its rival’s business model has been “simple, predictable and endorsed by its senior management team.” The company is seeking punitive damages and other relief in the Delaware case.
Motive executives, meanwhile, framed the ITC ruling as a vindication.
“Samsara falsely accused Motive of patent infringement in the ITC to stifle competition and disrupt our business. But they failed,” said Shu White, the company’s chief legal officer.
The decision comes months after Motive defeated similar claims from Omnitracs. In April, a San Francisco jury cleared Motive of infringing on patents owned by Omnitracs and its partners, SmartDrive Systems and XRS Corp. That 10-day trial ended with jurors unanimously siding with Motive, while also invalidating several Omnitracs patents.
Omnitracs, a subsidiary of Solera, argued it had invested hundreds of millions of dollars in fleet and safety technology over three decades and that Motive had improperly relied on its work. The jury found otherwise, concluding Motive presented clear evidence its products were independently developed.
The back-to-back rulings remove significant legal threats to Motive’s operations, though the Delaware case filed by Samsara means the company is not entirely free from courtroom battles. Samsara, for its part, has said its lawsuits are necessary to protect intellectual property in a competitive and fast-changing sector.
Motive has built its business around AI-powered dashcams and an integrated operations platform used across trucking, construction, energy and other industries. The ITC ruling ensures the company can continue offering those services without restrictions imposed by a trade violation order.
Generative AI assisted in the creation of this article.
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