Rolls-Royce Sues UTC for Patent Infringement

Rolls-Royce today filed a complaint alleging infringement by United Technologies Corp. (UTC) of the Rolls-Royce swept fan blade patent. The complaint specifically identifies the fan stages on both the Engine Alliance GP7200 engine and the Pratt & Whitney PW1000G engine. It also alleges that a number of other UTC aerospace civil engines infringe the Rolls-Royce patent. In a statement released today, Rolls-Royce said it seeks unspecified damages and injunctions.

UK-based Rolls-Royce expects a jury to hear the case in the first half of next year in the Federal Court for the Eastern District of Virginia.

According to Rolls, the origins of the case date back to the late 1990s, when UTC unsuccessfully applied to the U.S. Patent Office to strike the patent in question from the registry.