BRP files lawsuits against Arctic Cat

[switchy]

VALCOURT, QC, Dec. 15, 2011 /CNW Telbec/ - Bombardier Recreational Products Inc. (BRP), manufacturer of Ski-Doo and Lynx snowmobiles, today filed lawsuits in Canada and the United States claiming that Arctic Cat has infringed various Canadian and American patents for the revolutionary REV platform used in BRP's lines of snowmobiles.

BRP claims in documents filed in the Federal Court of Canada and the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois that Arctic Cat knowingly used certain innovations protected by BRP's patents, without permission. BRP is requesting that Arctic Cat halt production of the infringing models, that it destroy those in stock, and is seeking monetary compensation for the infringement.
"In recent years we have seen our competitors attempt to copy an increasing number of our inventions and designs," said Martin Langelier, vice-president, General Counsel and Secretary. "Innovation being at the core of BRP's strategy, we will not tolerate infringement of our intellectual property rights. We are, as a result, taking legal action to protect them."
In 2002, BRP revolutionized the snowmobile industry with the introduction of a new platform, the REV chassis. This new chassis allowed the company's Ski-Doo brand to regain the number one position in the industry, a lead it has since maintained.
Bombardier Recreational Products Inc. (BRP), a privately held company, is a world leader in the design, development, manufacturing, distribution and marketing of motorised recreational vehicles. Its portfolio of brands and products includes: Ski-Doo and Lynx snowmobiles, Sea-Doo watercraft and boats, Evinrude and Johnson outboard engines, Can-Am all-terrain and side-by-side vehicles and roadsters, as well as Rotax engines. BRP products are distributed in more than 100 countries.
www.brp.com
Sea-Doo, Ski-Doo, Lynx, Evinrude, Johnson, Can-Am, Rotax, REV and the BRP logo are trademarks of Bombardier Recreational Products Inc. or its affiliates. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.​

 

[veritascs]

Why is this in the pro section? It's all bs anyway, sucks for Cat.

 

[m8sandman]

only thing i can think of that cat has from doo is reverse, thought they had worked a deal with them to use it, anything else i'd think they'd gladly give back didn't the rev come out in 04??? at least in a mt. sled... guess with sales lacking they have to do something to make money now

 

[sledless bdh]

The end of that article is the funniest part......stating doo has been the industry leader since 02......hmmm.....I can think of plenty of years between then and now that polaris and cat has owned the hills.

 

[High Velocity]

Laughable at best. BRP has been sued a few times for stealing other manufacturers' "innovative" ideas. What a bunch of hypocritical a-holes !!


Sent from my iPhone when I should be sledding.

 

[SSABMUD]

It's because they both look like fat pigs.

 

[94fordguy]

Don't Patents only last 7 years? I thought that was how Arctic Cat introduced engine revers in 09... cause Ski-doo introduced it in 02

 

[Trenchmaster]

Just one more reason for this western Canadian to hate BRP!!!

 

[Demo250]

They probably just want something that Cat introduced. By doing this they can steal the technology. They'll just say as a tradeoff we get your technology for this part, and we let you use our technology for that part. Isn't that how Polaris ended up with the reverse, and Skidoo ended up with Poo style trailing arms? Or something like that....

Edit: And I'm okay with that. I love it when all 3 manufacturers get to use the same technology. Why? Because it forces innovation and demand for an even better product.

 

[volcano buster]

Ski-Doo has been using the electronic reverse for many years. I remember seeing a 1994 Tundra with that feature on it. My understanding is that patents typically last from 17-20 years. There are a lot of technicalities with them so it may vary.

 

[jdw1]

I think that polaris actucally pays brp a user fee if you will, for every sled that has perc and perc kits that are sold, i did hear a dollar figure per unit but i don't know if it was true. It was brp's idea and they have a patent on it.

 

[ace59]

Why is this in the pro section? It's all bs anyway, sucks for Cat.

X2

 

[High Velocity]

I think that polaris actucally pays brp a user fee if you will, for every sled that has perc and perc kits that are sold, i did hear a dollar figure per unit but i don't know if it was true. It was brp's idea and they have a patent on it.

Just before Poo came out with PERC, Poo had sued Doo for copying one of Poo's rear suspensions. Part of the settlement was that Poo got to use the electronic reverse technology.


Sent from my iPhone when I should be sledding.

 

[rmk727]

just to age myself and first cudos to doo for coming up with perc, but I can remember when Pol had to add a trigger or something to the stator so that if you didn't pull the rope hard and the engine backfired it was running in reverse infact back then you could start the engine by putting your foot on the drive clutch and kicking and it would start if you kicked the otherway it ran in revere(3 cyl 500's) so did Pol have the firt perc? unintentional as it was.

 

[theultrarider]

The 60's/ early 70's Johnson/Evinrides had "perc" electronic reverse on them. Yes, they did make sleds back then, and yes, they did had an electronic reverse that made the motors run backwards. And yes, I am old enough to have ridden them when they weren't concidered to be "vintage" sleds lol

 

[Reg2view]

Don't Patents only last 7 years? I thought that was how Arctic Cat introduced engine revers in 09... cause Ski-doo introduced it in 02

17. Doo traded e-reverse for Cat's agreement not to sue for battery-less EFI. Each country has different patent laws, of course. Or, for China, none...

 

[wje_153]

Fuack brp. ski-doo builds a pathetic excuse for a mountain sled.

 

[volcano buster]

Fuack brp. ski-doo builds a pathetic excuse for a mountain sled.

I'm not sure that is entirely fair. Without the introduction of the Rev in 2003, the other manufacturers would have likely been slower to reduce weight on their platforms. That move by Ski-Doo accelerated the overall product line to where we are today. The advantages of rider-forward positioning seems to be a big hit regardless of flavor as well. Whether you like the yellow brand or not, they have forced some decent technological advancements.