The North American unit of Doosan Bobcat has filed a patent infringement lawsuit against Caterpillar, the world's largest heavy equipment maker.
Doosan Bobcat said on the 3rd that on the 2nd (local time) its North American subsidiary filed complaints covering a total of 14 patents with four venues: the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas (EDTX), the International Trade Commission (ITC), the Unified Patent Court (UPC) in Europe, and a German federal court.
In the complaints, Doosan Bobcat argued that Caterpillar's infringement of its patents was willful and ongoing, alleging the company intentionally copied by systematically monitoring rival technologies—disassembling and analyzing rival Bobcat products, drafting CAD drawings, and testing sensor signals.
The allegedly infringing products listed in the complaints include Bobcat's flagship skid-steer loaders and compact track loaders, excavators, wheel loaders, and dozers, and Doosan Bobcat is seeking damages, an import ban, and the recall, removal, and destruction of the infringing products.
A Doosan Bobcat official said, "The patents at issue in this lawsuit support distinctive features such as the mobility, performance, and precision of Doosan Bobcat construction equipment," adding, "We filed suit to protect the company's patented technologies and foster a fair competitive environment."