Navico, Garmin announce resolution to patent disputes
Navico, parent company to the Lowrance, Simrad, and B&G brands, and Garmin International Inc., a unit of Garmin Ltd., have ended a three-year-long legal dispute relating to sonar and auto guidance patents.
The agreement, announced jointly by the companies, includes a broad cross licensing of patents and other intellectual property, which will allow both companies to bring new innovations to the market faster and benefit all marine customers.
“Research and development of game-changing technologies like our DownScan Imaging is the lifeblood of our business and the marine electronics industry,” said Navico CEO Leif Ottosson.“We are very pleased with this resolution, which includes guidelines for the future cross licensing of technologies for the benefit of both of our customers.”
”This is an exciting time as new technology is bringing positive change to the marine market,” said Garmin President and CEO Cliff Pemble. “This resolution allows us to focus all of our energy to bring even more innovation to our marine customers.”