Bridgeport Fittings pays Arlington Industries $3.62 million in longstanding patent dispute after Appeals Court affirms jury award

Bridgeport Fittings, Stratford, Conn., paid Arlington Industries, Scranton, Pa., $3.62 million last week for sales of its infringing Whipper-Snap products from 2005 through 2010. Bridgeport was ordered to pay Arlington the money judgment after a unanimous jury found that 30 types of Bridgeport’s Whipper-Snap products infringed Arlington’s patent covering its Snap-Tite products. The United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit recently affirmed the jury verdict.

Arlington Industries said in a press release that this $3.62 million payment does not include additional damages currently under dispute for what it said were “infringing sales between March 2010 and December 2011.” Arlington expects the United States District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania will determine this legal matter in the next few months.

In response to the jury’s decision, Tom Stark, president of Arlington Industries, said in the press release, “Bridgeport has infringed Arlington’s Snap-Tite patent for the past 12 years. In fact, this is the second time Bridgeport has been forced to pay Arlington for its infringement of the same patent. We are pleased the Federal Circuit agreed with us again in this latest patent dispute with Bridgeport and we will continue to defend our valuable intellectual property rights against unfair competition.”