WHOOP wins injunction against Polar lookalike — but Polar fight goes on

The injunction you heard about wasn't against Polar

Reports circulating this week have suggested a US judge halted American sales of the Polar Loop fitness tracker. That is not what happened. The injunction granted by a US federal court was issued against Shenzhen Lexqi Electronic Technology Co., a Chinese manufacturer, not against Polar. WHOOP's separate legal complaint against the Finnish wearables giant remains live and unresolved, with no court order against Polar confirmed as of 27 August 2026.

The confusion is understandable — WHOOP is currently fighting on two fronts simultaneously — but the distinction matters, particularly for anyone in the UK considering a Polar Loop purchase.

What the court actually decided: the Lexqi case

WHOOP filed suit against Shenzhen Lexqi in September 2025, accusing the company of deliberately copying the appearance of its flagship wearable: specifically, a continuous fabric band wrapping over a faceless device, with thin metal accents on the sides. According to WHOOP, cease-and-desist notices were ignored before the lawsuit was filed.

In February 2026, the US District Court for the District of Massachusetts sided with WHOOP, granting a preliminary injunction that effectively bans Lexqi from making, marketing, or selling its disputed tracker in the United States while the case continues. The ruling was conditional on WHOOP posting a $200,000 bond.

The judge found WHOOP's trade dress to be "non-functional and distinctive" — legal shorthand for the fact that the minimalist design is not simply dictated by how the device works, but has become part of the brand's recognisable identity. The court also rejected Lexqi's argument that WHOOP had been slow to act, concluding the company moved promptly once it had identified the alleged infringement.

Consumer confusion, the court found, was real. One Amazon reviewer had reportedly referred to the Lexqi device as a "WHOOP band."

The Polar lawsuit: filed, active, unresolved

The case against Polar is a separate matter entirely. On 14 October 2025, WHOOP filed a 38-page federal complaint in the US District Court for the Eastern District of New York against Polar Electro Oy and Polar Electro Inc. The suit alleges that the Polar Loop — launched just weeks earlier, on 3 September 2025 — infringes WHOOP's trade dress under the Lanham Act, bringing claims of trade-dress infringement, false designation of origin, unfair competition, and trademark dilution.

WHOOP is seeking damages, treble recovery, attorneys' fees, and a permanent injunction that would bar Polar from selling any product "using anything confusingly similar to the Whoop Trade Dress." Any court order would also require Polar to certify compliance within 30 days.

Polar rebutted the allegations on the same day the complaint was filed, and issued a further public statement on 20 October 2025. The company has stated:

"Polar firmly denies any allegations of intellectual property infringement. Our products are the result of decades of innovation and rigorous design processes, and we remain confident in the originality and integrity of the appearance and design of our products."

Polar has also told MobiHealthNews that the Loop reflects its own longstanding design approach and does not infringe WHOOP's intellectual property. No preliminary injunction against Polar has been granted, and the case is still moving through the courts.

What is the Polar Loop, and who is it for?

The Polar Loop launched in September 2025 as Polar's first screen-free wearable band in over a decade — a reimagined successor to the original Loop that debuted back in 2013, when step counters were the dominant wearable format. The new version is, according to Polar, essentially a consumer-facing evolution of its B2B Polar 360 tracker.

The device weighs 29 grams, offers up to eight days of battery life, and tracks heart rate, sleep quality, activity, steps, distance and calories around the clock. Its textile band attaches to a stainless-steel buckle housing Polar's Precision Prime sensor. It is water-resistant, rated for temperatures between -20°C and +50°C, and syncs to the Polar Flow app on Android and iOS.

In the UK, the Polar Loop is priced at £149.50, with interchangeable wristbands available separately at £15.90. UK comparison sites currently list the Polar Loop Gen2 from £127.09 to £159.99. The Polar UK website remains active, and the device is available to buy.

One feature Polar has used prominently in its marketing is the absence of a subscription fee — every function is available from day one, a pointed contrast to WHOOP's own model, which requires a membership.

A broader pattern of enforcement

The Lexqi and Polar cases are not isolated incidents. WHOOP, founded in Boston in 2012 and valued at $10.1 billion, has been expanding its intellectual property enforcement activity. On 17 March 2026, it filed a further trade dress infringement suit — this time against Finerpoint, Inc., the company behind the health analytics app Bevel — in the US District Court for the District of Delaware.

Jason Lynch, WHOOP's Chief Administrative Officer and Chief Legal Officer, commented on the Lexqi ruling:

"WHOOP members trust us with their data and rely on our technology to make meaningful decisions about their health and performance."

He added that protecting the company's intellectual property is critical to maintaining that trust and ensuring competitors innovate rather than imitate. WHOOP has not been confirmed as having commented specifically on the ongoing Polar case.

The Polar lawsuit will continue to move through the US federal court system. Until a ruling is made, the Polar Loop remains on sale — including here in the UK.