Milwaukee Tool Awarded $27.8M Judgment in Patent Infringement Lawsuit. Is Your Company’s IP Protected?

On October 25, 2017, a Milwaukee federal court jury awarded Milwaukee Tool $27.8 million following a ten-day patent infringement trial against rival Snap-on Corporation.  Because the jury agreed with Reinhart’s trial team that Snap-on’s infringement was willful, the Court may increase the award by up to three times – up to $83.4 million.  The infringed patents protected Milwaukee Tool’s innovative lithium-ion battery packs for high-current cordless power tools.

If innovations give your company a competitive advantage, you can be sure your competitors are studying them to learn the secrets of your success. And once they learn your ideas, they will use them free of charge - unless you protect them.

We know that innovation drives our clients’ success and that patents help build protective moats around those innovations. Reinhart attorney Scott Hansen led the successful infringement prosecution and pointed out that “besides making infringers pay, successful prosecutions like this also discourage future infringers by drawing clear red lines around unacceptable competition.”

Building a protective moat around your distinctive innovations takes teamwork. It begins with patent lawyers who understand your business and work hand-in-glove with your innovators to obtain strong patents that are hard for your competitors to circumvent.  And it ends with experienced trial lawyers who translate your innovations into compelling stories that juries understand and embrace.  When your competitors know your patents are strong and that you're serious about enforcing them, they are less tempted to infringe in the first place.

So, what provides your company's competitive edge?  Whether it's your creative people, your products or services or your unique methods of doing things, how are you protecting them from competitors?  From start to finish, we help you build and protect your moat.

If you would like to learn more, feel free to call Paul Stockhausen or Jess Polakowski.

Milwaukee Tool Litigation Team

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