Rolls-Royce Group, the world’s second-largest maker of jet engines, lost the patent- infringement case it brought against United Technologies Corp. (UTX)’s Pratt & Whitney over fan technology.
Pratt’s GP7200 Fan Stage doesn’t violate a patent issued in 2000 for a Rolls-Royce Trent engine used on the Airbus SAS A380 airplane, U.S. District Judge Leonie Brinkema in Alexandria, Virginia, said in a decision issued May 20.
Rolls-Royce had been seeking as much as $3.7 billion in damages before Brinkema on May 4 told the London-based company it was likely overstating the effect of competition on sales. Brinkema rejected the infringement claims last week after determining the two competing technologies weren’t the same because the Rolls-Royce patent covers a fan stage with three sweep regions, while Pratt fans have four, according to the opinion.
“Rolls-Royce takes protection of its technology and intellectual property very seriously,” the company said in a statement, adding that the company “will carefully consider our options.”
Rolls-Royce competes against a venture of East Hartford, Connecticut-based Pratt and General Electric Co. (GE) to provide engines for the A380. GE is the largest maker of jet engines.
“The court’s ruling confirms what we have always maintained, that our products do not infringe the Rolls patent,” Pratt said in an e-mailed statement. Pratt in November filed its own patent-infringement case against Rolls-Royce with the U.S. International Trade Commission in Washington. A trial is scheduled for October before the agency, which has the power to block imports of products found to violate U.S. patents.
Pratt’s GP7200 Fan Stage doesn’t violate a patent issued in 2000 for a Rolls-Royce Trent engine used on the Airbus SAS A380 airplane, U.S. District Judge Leonie Brinkema in Alexandria, Virginia, said in a decision issued May 20.
Rolls-Royce had been seeking as much as $3.7 billion in damages before Brinkema on May 4 told the London-based company it was likely overstating the effect of competition on sales. Brinkema rejected the infringement claims last week after determining the two competing technologies weren’t the same because the Rolls-Royce patent covers a fan stage with three sweep regions, while Pratt fans have four, according to the opinion.
“Rolls-Royce takes protection of its technology and intellectual property very seriously,” the company said in a statement, adding that the company “will carefully consider our options.”
Rolls-Royce competes against a venture of East Hartford, Connecticut-based Pratt and General Electric Co. (GE) to provide engines for the A380. GE is the largest maker of jet engines.
“The court’s ruling confirms what we have always maintained, that our products do not infringe the Rolls patent,” Pratt said in an e-mailed statement. Pratt in November filed its own patent-infringement case against Rolls-Royce with the U.S. International Trade Commission in Washington. A trial is scheduled for October before the agency, which has the power to block imports of products found to violate U.S. patents.
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