Caterpillar Fights Back Against Bobcat’s Patent Claims

Caterpillar is facing a high-stakes legal battle after Doosan Bobcat North America accused the construction giant of infringing patents on key equipment components.

The dispute has escalated after the US International Trade Commission said it will look into the claims, adding more pressure on one of the world’s biggest manufacturers.

Bobcat, which filed its complaint last month, says Caterpillar broke US trade law by bringing in parts for skid steers, track loaders, excavators, wheel loaders, and dozers.

The company pleaded with the court to block certain products from coming into the US and to stop Caterpillar from continuing to use the disputed parts.

In its defence, Caterpillar framed the dispute as an existential fight. The company emphasised that the alleged infringement covers nearly all its construction equipment and that most of the products are manufactured in the US. 

“Eliminating Caterpillar’s Accused Products could leave a supply gap, causing shortages, slowing down productivity while driving up construction costs… and potentially benefitting non-US manufacturers,” the company said. 

It also described Bobcat’s claims as “an effort to exert undue pressure on Caterpillar through coercive litigation, without any previous notification to Caterpillar of its purported concerns.”

The case has drawn political attention. Letters of support arrived at the Trade Commission from members of Congress backing both sides. 

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Bobcat supporters such as Rep. Pat Harrigan of North Carolina wrote, “Bobcat holds hundreds of active US patents and has been granted more than a thousand since its founding. 

“Protecting these patents is not simply a legal matter – it is essential to ensuring that American companies can continue to innovate, compete globally and provide stable jobs.”

Meanwhile, politicians supporting Caterpillar highlighted potential harm to US industry and consumers. Rep. Bruce Westerman of Arkansas said, “Doosan Bobcat’s requested exclusion orders would reduce consumer choice and may increase prices for construction equipment.”

Bobcat dismissed claims that the dispute was a matter of foreign versus domestic interests, pointing to its “massive US manufacturing footprint and decades-long status as a key US employer.” 

The company criticised Caterpillar’s “too big to ban” defence, saying, “This investigation is about construction equipment, not unique, lifesaving products with no substitutes. In investigations like this, the public interest strongly favours the enforcement of Bobcat’s intellectual property rights.”

The Trade Commission’s chief administrative law judge will soon assign an administrative law judge to hold an evidentiary hearing, after which an initial determination will be made. 

Caterpillar has until February 9 to respond to the federal lawsuit filed by Bobcat.

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