Court Dismisses Rototilt Patent Infringement Lawsuit Against Engcon

For a third time, Sweden’s Patent and Market Court has dismissed Rototilt’s patent infringement lawsuit against competitor and fellow tiltrotator manufacturer Engcon, according to an April 2 press release.

The companies have been in a dispute over safety lock technology for tiltrotators since as early as 2015. Rototilt, which holds a patent for its SecureLock system, launched in 2013, claimed that Engcon’s Q-Lock system, launched in 2014, infringed upon its intellectual property.

Following years of failed licensing agreement negotiations, Rototilt filed a lawsuit against Engcon regarding alleged infringement of patented technology in June 2022.

Rototilt holds European Patent EP 2640658, U.S. Patent US 9562346, Canadian Patent CA 2886209 and Japanese Patent JP 6258945 for its SecureLock technology. Rototilt is also a founding member of the Open-S alliance, an independent organization of manufacturers agreeing to an open interface using the established, symmetrical quick coupler standard for excavators.

In its application for summons, Rototilt said, “This for infringement of patented technology consisting of sensors arranged in the lower bracket of the tiltrotator that communicate via electric swivel. The technology enables, among other things, Rototilt's safety solution SecureLock. The summons relates to the tiltrotators that are equipped with Engcon's safety solution Q-Safe and have been manufactured, sold or handled since January 15, 2020.”

Engcon responded that it has been using sensor technology for its quick couplers since the early 1990s, long before Rototilt’s patent in question was granted. The sensor technology is used in its Q-Safe system, but not its tiltrotators, which it said is its main product. 

Engcon maintained that it did not use the sensor technology in a way that infringes Rototilt's patent. In May 2023, the Patent and Market Court agreed that there was no patent infringement and Rototilt’s lawsuit was dismissed. 

The judgement was appealed, and in March 2025, the Patent and Market Court of Appeal also determined no patent infringement by Engcon.

In September 2025, Rototilt again filed lawsuits against Engcon for the same patent. According to Engcon, “Rototilt’s claims in the case concern the same matter as has already been adjudicated and was finally decided in favor of the Engcon Companies in a judgment by the Patent and Market Court of Appeal on March 27, 2025, in which the court found that the Engcon Companies had not committed patent infringement and dismissed Rototilt’s action.”

On April 2, 2026, a decision issued by the Patent and Market Court, found that all of Rototilt’s claims were covered by the previous judgement’s binding effect. The court dismissed Rototilt’s claims for patent infringement and injunctive relief in their entirety.

A minor part of the case concerning potential damages related to the March 27, 2025, judgement has not been dismissed and has not yet been adjudicated.

The Patent and Market Court’s decision to dismiss Rototilt’s action in the above respects may be appealed to the Patent and Market Court of Appeal.

Rototilt Outlines Case History

Leading up to the original lawsuit, Rototilt shared the following timeline of events:

• 2010: Rototilt submits its first patent application in Sweden.
• 2011: Rototilt files an international patent application, which is later completed as a European patent application.
• 2013: Rototilt launches its first product, SecureLock, within the framework of this development work.
• In 2014, Engcon launches a similar product, Q-Safe, that Rototilt believes constitutes an infringement on the company's patent application.
• As early as in 2015, Rototilt states that Engcon risks infringing the scope of protection of the patent application.
• On January 15, 2020, the European Patent Office (EPO) approves the patent.
• On June 25, 2020, Rototilt sent a second letter to Engcon with information about the patent and raised the issue of an agreement for a licensing solution.
• In addition, between 2020 and 2022, Rototilt, in further correspondence, stated its willingness to create a license agreement for Engcon's use of Rototilt's invention. Engcon disputed the infringement and was not interested in an agreement.
• In 2021, Engcon raised an objection to the European patent received by Rototilt. Engcon's objection was rejected in its entirety by the EPO's opposition division following a legal proceeding on January 27, 2022.
• In May 2022, Rototilt submitted a final claim to Engcon, including a detailed calculation of damages and a request for payment of approximately SEK 120 million which was rejected. Rototilt declared that a court process would then be inevitable.
• On June 18, 2022, the time period for Engcon to submit grounds for its appeal expired, with with Rototilt choosing to take legal action against Engcon for alleged patent infringement.