A lawsuit filed by Zodiac and its affiliated companies
against Brunswick Corporation will be dismissed, according to an agreement
reached last week by the two companies.
Last summer,
Zodiac of North America Inc., Zodiac International and its AVON
Inflatables Ltd. Subsidiary filed a lawsuit against Brunswick Corporation that
alleged Brunswick's Amanzi 380 Deluxe rigid-hull inflat
able boat (RIB) infringed
on a Zodiac patent and AVON's trade dress. The suit, filed in the U.S.
District Court for the District of Maryland, was filed not long after Mercury
Marine, a division of Brunswick Corporation, introduced the Amanzi model.
Zodiac and Brunswick have agreed that the current version of the Amanzi
boat is appropriate for sale by Brunswick. Under this agreement, Zodiac
agreed not to sue Brunswick and its dealers and will dismiss the current
lawsuit.
"We are pleased this issue is now behind us and we can return our focus to
the service of our dealers and end customers," said Pat Mackey, president of
Mercury Marine.
Zodiac President and Chief Executive Officer J. J. Marie said he, too, was
happy to have the issue resolved.
"We are satisfied that the current version of the boat in question has been
substantially modified, to the point where we are able to reach a resolution
with Brunswick on this patent and trade dress infringement issue," said Marie,
adding that Zodiac will continue to vigorously defend its intellectual property
rights across the globe.