A long term procedure
The Navico group, which owns the marine electronics brands Lowrance, Simrad and B&G, in particular, initiated proceedings against its competitor Garmin in 2015. The dispute concerned a potential infringement of a patent on Navico's DownScan imaging technology by Garmin's Down Vü sonars. After a first judgment on December 1, 2015, against Garmin, several verdicts have led to blockages in the import of equipment.
A cross-licensing agreement
While the date of the final judgment of an American federal court was still unknown, the two heavyweights of marine electronics preferred to find an amicable solution. The agreement provides, according to Garmin's press release,"a broad cross-licensing of patents and other intellectual property, which will enable both companies to bring new innovations to the market faster and will benefit all maritime customers
Satisfaction of both parties
Each of the leaders expressed their satisfaction. "This is an exciting time as new technologies bring positive change to the boating market," said Cliff Pemble, CEO of Garmin. "This decision allows us to focus all our energy on bringing even more innovation to our marine customers."
"Research and development of breakthrough technologies such as DownScan imaging are the essence of our business and the marine electronics industry," said Leif Ottosson, CEO of Navico. "We are very pleased with this decision, which incorporates the guidelines for the future cross-licensing of our technologies for the benefit of our two brands' customers
