The row between East Hartford jet-engine builder Pratt & Whitney Co. and Rolls-Royce Ltd. over the design of engine fan blades escalated Monday, with Pratt filing suit against its British rival in Hartford federal court.
Pratt’s complaint follows Rolls-Royce’s filing of an amended complaint last month, claiming Pratt infringes a Rolls’ patent relating to swept fan blades.
Among other things, Pratt wants the court to invalidate Rolls-Royce’s blade patent and to order Rolls to stop what the plaintiff says are false claims that Pratt has breached Rolls’ patent.
Pratt also seeks triple damages for lost engine sales stemming from Rolls’ alleged bad-mouthing, the suit says.
Rolls-Royce could not be immediately reached for comment.
Both engine makers are competing to sell newly design jet engines to the world’s leading passenger air carriers, a market worth billions for new engines, replacement parts and maintenance contracts.
Pratt uses a swept-blade design for its next-generation PurePower passenger-jet engine that is quieter, more fuel efficient yet just as powerful as current engines.
Pratt insists its blade design is its own and that Rolls is the one infringing on Pratt’s design.
Pratt lawyer George Romanik, who specializes in intellectual property, says “Rolls-Royce has engaged in unfair behavior to mislead the United States Patent & Trademark Office to obtain a patent that it now alleges Pratt & Whitney infringes.”
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