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.