French Court Reverses Course on Bell 429 Skid Patent Row

Last week, the Paris Court of Appeals reversed an October 2012 lower court decision by France’s Tribunal de Grande Instance de Paris that held the design of Bell Helicopter’s skid gear on its 429 light twin did not infringe on an existing Eurocopter (now Airbus Helicopters) patent. In a statement released to AIN last night, Bell again denied patent infringement and accused Airbus Helicopters of unfair “legal maneuvering.”

The company noted that prior court decisions in the U.S. and Canada on the matter had gone against Airbus. “Every legal review to date has upheld that the production landing gear on the Bell 429 does not infringe on Eurocopter’s patent.” Bell said it is “studying the decision and assessing the impact it may have to Bell 429 operations within France.” Further, Bell will continue delivering 429s outside of France “without interruption” and “vigorously defend the production gear in France.” Currently, one Bell 429 is based in France. Bell said it is working with that customer to meet their immediate needs.