North American Windpower: Florida Court Upholds Ruling In GE-Mitsubishi Patent-Infringement Case

Florida Court Upholds Ruling In GE-Mitsubishi Patent-Infringement Case

by NAW Staff on Wednesday 13 February 2013

The U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida has upheld a previous ruling in favor of GE in a patent-infringement case filed by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) back in 2010.

MHI was seeking compensation for alleged damages resulting from what the company says was infringement of one of its U.S. patents by GE's wind turbines. Last July, the Florida court ruled in favor of GE, essentially dismissing MHI's case. Later that month, MHI appealed the ruling, but the court has decided to stand by its decision.

The Mitsubishi patent at issue is related to controlling blade pitch angle for a wind turbine. In the court's decision to grant GE’s motion for summary judgment, the judge stated that the pitch control systems used by GE control the angle of the wind turbine blades in a different way than what is covered in the Mitsubishi patent. More information on the case is available here.

MHI says it has the option to appeal the Florida court’s ruling to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit.

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