Bobcat Sues Cat Over Alleged Patent Infringement

Doosan Bobcat North America has filed multiple lawsuits against Caterpillar, claiming patent infringement on skid-steers, compact track loaders, excavators, wheel loaders and dozers. 

The cases have been brought in the US and abroad.

In the US, the lawsuit was submitted to the US District Court for the Eastern District of Texas and also named the Holt Cat dealership. 

Bobcat alleges Caterpillar infringed on patents including “Automated Shifting of Hydraulic Drive Systems” and “Hydraulic Power Prioritisation.”

The company claims that Caterpillar manufactures the components outside the United States before importing them for sale domestically.

“Bobcat has suffered and continues to suffer substantial damages,” the lawsuit states. The company is seeking a jury trial, damages, attorneys’ fees and costs.

Bobcat described the legal action as a measure to protect its innovations. 

The company said, “Bobcat Company is taking these legal actions to protect our patented technologies, defend fair competition, and safeguard the innovation and craftsmanship that have defined our company for more than 65 years. 

“The 14 Bobcat patents at issue enable functions like maneuverability, power, performance and efficiency. They’re foundational to our machines’ strength, versatility and precision, as well as the future of Bobcat innovation, driving advancement across our product lineup and making each machine worthy of carrying the Bobcat brand.”

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The company’s history features prominently in the lawsuit. Originating in 1947 as Melroe Manufacturing Company in Gwinner, North Dakota, Bobcat’s early innovation included the three-wheel compact loader invented by Cyril and Louis Keller in 1957. 

The design evolved into the M400 skid steer, the first of its kind, in 1960. The Bobcat brand was introduced in 1962 and the company launched a compact excavator in 1989, which it says was the only such machine manufactured in the United States at the time.

The lawsuit criticises Caterpillar’s approach to the market. 

“CAT was a late arrival to the skid-steer loader market. It did not begin manufacturing skid-steer loaders until 1999, roughly 40 years after Bobcat created the market. 

Rather than innovate itself, CAT has chosen to take the innovations of Bobcat to attempt to unfairly compete with Bobcat in the skid-steer and broader compact equipment market. This has unfortunately been a pattern for CAT.”

Bobcat has filed a complaint with the US International Trade Commission to stop products it says infringe its patents from entering the country. The company has also sued Caterpillar and its European dealers in the Unified Patent Court and German courts.

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