Navico, Garmin Resolve 3-Year Dispute Over Patents

The agreement includes a broad cross licensing of patents and other intellectual property, which the companies say will allow both Navico and Garmin to bring new innovations to the market faster and benefit all marine customers.

Marine electronics companies Navico and Garmin have agreed to end their three-year dispute over patents, the companies announced Wednesday in an emailed news release.

The legal dispute involved sonar and auto guidance patents.

Navico, the parent company of Lowrance, Simrad and B&G, said in a news release that "the agreement includes a broad cross licensing of patents and other intellectual property, which will allow both companies to bring new innovations to the market faster and benefit all marine customers."

Navico sued Garmin in 2016 and won in a suit over Navico's "downscan" technology; the jury in U.S. District Court in Texas ruled in Navico's favor and ordered Garmin to pay $38 million in damages. Navico also had filed two similar suits in Oklahoma and with the International Trade Commission. The latter reached the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, which ruled in Garmin's favor.

"Research and development of game-changing technologies like our DownScan Imaging is the lifeblood of our business and the marine electronics industry," Navico CEO Leif Ottosson said in a news releaser. "We are very pleased with this resolution, which includes guidelines for the future cross licensing of technologies for the benefit of both of our customers."

Added Garmin President and CEO Cliff Pemble:"This is an exciting time as new technology is bringing positive change to the marine market. This resolution allows us to focus all of our energy to bring even more innovation to our marine customers."