Bushnell and Leupold Settle Patent Infringement Lawsuits

Bushnell Inc. and Leupold & Stevens have settled their respective lawsuits relating to the Leupold True Ballistic Range® (TBR) technology, and the Bushnell Angle Range Compensation (ARC) technology. So ends the legal battle of competing angle-compensation indication systems. In February, Leupold & Stevens sued Burris, Bushnell, and Zeiss for patent infringement in federal court for the District of Oregon. Then, in a separate action in the District of Kansas, Bushnell sued Leupold & Stevens for patent infringement. This week, after months of negotiations, the two companies dismissed their claims against each other, the two sides having reached an amicable settlement. The terms of the settlement were not disclosed, but neither company will be required to discontinue selling any of its products.

“We are pleased with the settlement, because it allows our customers to go on using and enjoying Bushnell laser rangefinders with our patented ARC technology, and we can focus our resources and energy on further developing and marketing new and innovative products,” said Phil Gyori, Executive Vice President of Marketing at Bushnell.

Previously, in March, Leupold removed Carl Zeiss Optical from Leupold’s patent suit. Though originally named as a defendant, Zeiss was dismissed from the suit because its products do NOT incorporate an inclinometer to compensate for angled shots. The inclinometer is a key element of Leupold’s patent.