Archer has filed a patent infringement complaint in the Eastern District of Texas to stop Vertical from what it claims is copying Archer’s Midnight Aircraft design, in Vertical’s new Valo configuration. According to a background statement from Archer: “After years of developing its VX4 aircraft, Vertical has abandoned that design and unveiled a new aircraft, Valo, which is a visual “mimic” of Archer’s Midnight aircraft’s award-winning industrial design,” said the company. The suit asserts that Vertical has infringed at least two of Midnight’s design patents (U.S. Patent No. D1,062,878 and U.S. Patent No. D1,067,164), which protect the unique visual identity of Midnight’s V-tail, fuselage, and wing configurations. The suit asserts that Vertical’s Valo aircraft infringes on one of Archer’s utility patents (U.S. Patent No. 11,945,597) that covers critical flight control systems and “control allocation” methods used to manage electric propulsion units and battery power on its tilting architecture.
In response to the complaint, Vertical has issued its own statement: “Archer’s recent claims are without merit, and Vertical intends to defend those claims vigorously. Archer’s claims are merely an attempt to distract from Archer’s challenges competing in the marketplace. Vertical has developed a robust aircraft design with a clear path to certification, underpinned by Vertical’s proprietary and market-leading technology and international IP portfolio.”
(Image: Archer)