Rolls-Royce has filed a lawsuit against Pratt & Whitney’s parent company United Technologies Corporation alleging that Pratt violated a patent on the Engine Alliance GP7200 and PW1000G.
Rolls-Royce is alleging that Pratt has violated a patent it holds on swept fan blades used on the two engines, with the UK manufacturer seeking damages and injunctions. The origins of the case date back to the late 1990s when UTC unsuccessfully applied to the US Patent Office to have the Rolls-Royce swept fan blade patent struck out.
The case is expected to be heard before a jury in the Eastern District of Virginia in the first half of 2011.
