Perkins Coie's Patent Litigation Group Wins $30M Judgment in Football Helmet Patent Infringement Suit on Behalf of Riddell Sports

Riddell Sports filed its three-count patent infringement complaint in the Western District of Wisconsin in December of 2008 against Schutt Sports, contending that Schutt had infringed Riddell's patented concussion reduction technologies featured on the Riddell Revolution family of football helmets and faceguards. Riddell is a leading manufacturer of football helmets and a division of Easton-Bell Sports. Schutt, Riddell's main competitor in the market, fiercely defended against the complaint and filed a counter- claim seeking $40M in damages for allegations of false advertising and unfair competition under the Lanham Act. Two weeks prior to trial, Riddell was granted summary judgment on the Lanham Act claims, and the trial team went on to win a verdict of patent infringement on all remaining claims, with the jury awarding $30M (over $24M in lost profits and $5M in reasonable royalties).

The trial team included Mike Warnecke (Chicago), Chris Hanewicz (Madison), and Gabrielle Bina (Madison), assisted by Rodger Carreyn (Los Angeles) and Doug Sawyer (Denver). The pre-trial team also included Debra Bernard (Chicago), leading the counter-claim defense, Brandy McMillion (Chicago), and Jeremy Buxbaum (Chicago).