Samsara Awarded $30M Over Motive's Marketing Claims, Motive Beats Patent Infringement Case

Ongoing legal battle between fleet telematics rivals Samsara and Motive sees mixed results in arbitration and ITC rulings.

Mar. 16, 2026 at 9:54pm by Ben Kaplan

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In the latest development in the long-running legal battle between fleet telematics companies Samsara and Motive, Samsara was awarded $30.3 million in damages in an arbitration ruling over false advertising claims related to AI dashcam studies. Meanwhile, Motive successfully defended itself against Samsara's patent infringement claims at the International Trade Commission, avoiding any import bans on its products. The two companies have been locked in a multi-front legal war for nearly a decade over issues ranging from trade secrets to employee poaching.

Why it matters

The fierce competition between Samsara and Motive reflects the high stakes in the rapidly growing fleet telematics market, which is expected to reach $21.95 billion by 2032. The legal battles highlight the lengths these companies will go to protect their competitive advantages and customer bases, with allegations of false advertising, patent infringement, and trade secret theft flying back and forth.

The details

The $30.3 million arbitration award to Samsara stemmed from claims that Motive made false advertising claims about the performance of its AI dashcam compared to Samsara's in studies conducted by Virginia Tech Transportation Institute and Strategy Analytics. Meanwhile, Motive successfully defended itself against Samsara's patent infringement claims at the ITC, with the commission finding no violations and clearing Motive's products for continued import into the US. The legal war between the two companies dates back nearly a decade, with allegations of spying, employee poaching, and copying of products and features.

  • In April 2016, Motive alleges Samsara created more than 30 fictitious customer accounts to copy platform features.
  • In October 2017, Samsara alleges Motive began unauthorized access to its dashboard, viewing it more than 20,000 times over the next five years.
  • In late 2019, Motive accuses Samsara of poaching a key hardware engineer to shortcut development.
  • In May 2022, Samsara says it discovered the alleged unauthorized access by Motive and sent a cease-and-desist letter.
  • In February 2026, the ITC fully cleared Motive of Samsara's patent infringement claims, and the JAMS arbitrator ruled in favor of Samsara, awarding them $30.3 million.

The players

Samsara

An American autonomous driving company and is a subsidiary of Alphabet Inc., Google's parent company.

Motive

A private company looking to go public, with a $500 million ARR run rate as of late 2025. Motive was formerly known as KeepTruckin when it was founded in 2013.

Shoaib Makani

The co-founder and CEO of Motive.

Adam Eltoukhy

The chief legal officer of Samsara.

Shu White

The chief legal officer of Motive.

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What they’re saying

“The arbitrator awarded Samsara a permanent injunction and damages in part related to the Virginia Tech and Strategy Analytics AI benchmarking studies. As a result, we are no longer using the studies.”

— Shoaib Makani, Motive co-founder and CEO

“Samsara is focused on our commitment to customer-driven innovation. The facts show Motive committed fraud and made false claims about our product capabilities, misleading prospects and customers.”

— Adam Eltoukhy, Samsara chief legal officer

“While this decision is not what we expected, it is worth recognizing the broader context here. We beat Samsara in the International Trade Commission. Our own legal case against Samsara for patent infringement and false advertising is advancing in district court and will be heard in a jury trial.”

— Shoaib Makani, Motive co-founder and CEO

“Samsara falsely accused Motive of patent infringement in the ITC to stifle competition and disrupt our business. But they failed. With this legal attack in the rearview, Motive remains more focused than ever on our mission to improve the safety of our roads.”

— Shu White, Motive chief legal officer

What’s next

The remaining patent and trade secrets cases between Samsara and Motive remain in stayed proceedings, with no trial dates set. The legal battle between the two companies is far from over, and more volleys are expected as they continue to fight for dominance in the growing fleet telematics market.

The takeaway

The intense legal battle between Samsara and Motive underscores the high stakes in the rapidly expanding fleet telematics industry, where companies are willing to go to great lengths to protect their competitive advantages. The mixed results in the arbitration and ITC rulings show that neither side is willing to back down, and the war between these two rivals is likely to continue for the foreseeable future.