SIG SAUER vs. GLOCK: Dispute over patents

When two quarrel, the lawyer is happy. This should be especially true when two giants of the arms industry enter the ring. The match between SIG SAUER and GLOCK was quietly opened at the Vienna Commercial Court. An Austrian local newspaper reports: "The German arms manufacturer Sig Sauer has sued the domestic pistol maker Glock. According to the financial news agency Bloomberg, it concerns a design detail in new Glock models that Sig Sauer claims would violate a patent of the company. With the Glock handguns of 'Generation 5' and 'Glock 19X', a patent for a closure is allegedly violated, according to the German company, which is fighting with Glock for dominance in the important US market. Sig Sauer demands that Glock cease production of the disputed weapons, a court spokesman quoted by Bloomberg. Already produced firearms should be destroyed, according to the Glock competitor. The revenue from previous sales should be disclosed in order to determine the due patent fees." Yesterday, Friday, the first public hearing on the legal dispute took place in Austria. The legal dispute is a consequence of the competition for the next official sidearm of the US Army. GLOCK is represented by the Glock 19x against SIG SAUER with the P320 - both weapons are seen in the image above.

Will SIG push GLOCK out of the US market?

GLOCK, according to the newspaper, wants to investigate this: "In a broader sense, Glock claims that Sig Sauer's patent is invalid. The protected design is not sufficiently novel. The validity of the patent is to be examined by the Austrian Patent Office." The lawyers of the global corporations highlight the strategic depth of the conflict: "The legal dispute is also addressed in the Glock annual report. In particular, the injunction would have a massive impact on Glock GmbH, as some of the most successful models could no longer be sold, it says there. Glock's lawyer Wilhelm Gösseringer, reportedly said in court on Friday according to Bloomberg, that Sig Sauer's actual goal is to lock Glock out of the US market. Sig Sauer's lawyer Rainer Schultes argued that Glock could simply return to its older 'Generation 4' models." HERE is the link to the full article in the KLEINE ZEITUNG from Austria.

SIG SAUER Germany on the Internet: sigsauer-le.com.

SIG SAUER Inc. on the Internet: sigsauer.com.

GLOCK on the Internet: www.glock.com