Motive Wins ITC Patent Ruling Against Samsara

Motive Technologies secured a significant legal victory this week after a U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) judge ruled the company did not infringe on patents claimed by rival Samsara.

On September 8, Administrative Law Judge Doris Johnson Hines determined that Motive did not violate any valid Samsara patents, invalidated eight of the nine claims at issue, and found Samsara had failed to show adequate domestic industry investment tied to its patents — a requirement in Section 337 cases.

Judge Rejects Samsara’s Claims

The ITC decision delivers a setback for Samsara, which has argued that Motive copied its inventions in the telematics and fleet safety technology space. Samsara maintains a separate lawsuit in Delaware federal court, filed in 2024, alleging patent infringement, fraud, and false advertising.

In a statement responding to the ITC 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.”

Motive Frames Ruling as Vindication

Motive executives described the ruling as confirmation that the company developed its technology independently.

“Samsara falsely accused Motive of patent infringement in the ITC to stifle competition and disrupt our business. But they failed,” said Shu White, Motive’s chief legal officer.

The outcome allows Motive to continue selling its AI-powered dashcams and integrated fleet operations platform without restrictions tied to a trade violation order.

Additional Context

The ruling follows another courtroom win for Motive earlier this year. In April, a San Francisco jury cleared the company of infringing patents held by Omnitracs, SmartDrive Systems, and XRS Corp. The jury also invalidated several Omnitracs patents, concluding Motive presented evidence of independent development.

For Samsara, the Delaware case remains ongoing, with the company seeking punitive damages and claiming Motive “covertly stole its technology patents and adopted them as its own.”

The back-to-back rulings significantly reduce legal threats facing Motive, though litigation continues. With competitors pressing claims in multiple courts, the disputes underscore how intellectual property battles remain central to competition in the trucking technology sector.

Source: Transport Topics