Judge Triples Damages in BRP Patent Infringement Decision

As US District Court judge tripled damages against Sea-Doo manufacturer BRP in a patent infringement suit filed by competitor Arctic Cat.

It’s been a rough start to the month for Valcourt, Quebec-based Sea-Doo manufacturer, BRP.

On June 1 a US District Court ruled that the company infringed upon two patents held by a competitor, and awarded Arctic Cat US$15.5 million in compensatory damages. Yesterday a judge for the US District Court for the Southern District of Florida tripled that amount to $46.7 million, as allowed under US law in cases of “willful infringement.”

The suit involves two Arctic Cat patents for an off-throttle assisted steering technology, called Controlled Thrust Steering System for Watercraft, which were filed in 1999 and 2000. Arctic Cat, which used to sell a full line of personal watercraft under the Tigershark nameplate, exited the PWC market in 1999.

BRP issued a statement which says the company believes the decision is unfounded and that it intends to file an appeal.