Business

Markforged and Continuous Composites Patent Infringement Lawsuit ruling announced

The United States District Court for the District of Delaware issued a decision eliminating all four patents that Continuous Composites had initially asserted against Markforged in July 2021, according to a press release from Markforged. The court’s decision backs Markforged’s contention that these claims were without merit and establishes that Markforged does not violate these patents.

This result came about due to a recent “Claim Construction” hearing in which both parties argued for different interpretations of the fundamental ideas in each patent. The court agreed with Markforged’s understanding of language in the patents based on the reasons made. After this decision, Continuous Composites decided that the action should be dismissed concerning the four patents, comprising twenty patent claims together. There is now just one newly-issued patent left, added to the case in February 2022, and consists of two patent claims made by Continuous Composites.

The Markforged Mark Two. Photo by 3D Printing Industry.
The Markforged Mark Two. Photo by 3D Printing Industry.

The remaining claims will continue to be contested by Markforged, which maintains its view that it does not violate this final patent. The business is concentrated on supporting the more than 10,000 worldwide manufacturers who depend on Markforged technology daily to create “mission-critical parts.”

According to Shai Terem, President and Chief Executive Officer of Markforged, the company is pleased with this verdict, which upholds the claim “that we do not infringe any of Continuous Composites’ patents.” 

“From the start, we believed the Continuous Composite lawsuit to be meritless, and it is gratifying to see this bear out as the case progresses. After this ruling, any potential exposure related to the matter is limited to the one remaining patent. We plan to continue to mount an aggressive defense of the couple remaining claims against us in this final patent,” added Terem.

What does the future of 3D printing hold?

What engineering challenges need to be tackled in the additive manufacturing sector?

To stay up to date with the latest 3D printing news, don’t forget to subscribe to the 3D Printing Industry newsletter or follow us on Twitter, or like our page on Facebook.

While you’re here, why not subscribe to our Youtube channel? Featuring discussion, debriefs, video shorts, and webinar replays.

Are you looking for a job in the additive manufacturing industry? Visit 3D Printing Jobs for a selection of roles in the industry.

Featured image shows a demonstration of model iteration in Markforged Blacksmith AI. Image via Markforged.