Incat Crowther America, L.L.C. has filed a lawsuit against Birdon America, Inc. in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana. The case, identified as 24-cv-1061, was filed on April 26, 2024.
The plaintiff, Incat Crowther America, is a naval architecture and marine engineering firm based in Louisiana. The defendant, Birdon America, is a Delaware corporation with its principal place of business in Denver, Colorado. In early 2021, both parties discussed a joint endeavor to pursue a U.S. Coast Guard contract for the Waterways Commerce Cutters project.
The two companies entered into a teaming agreement on August 27, 2021 to formalize their collaboration on the project. Under this agreement, Incat agreed to provide its design services exclusively to Birdon.
Incat Crowther America is seeking judgment against Birdon America for allegedly violating their teaming agreement's terms regarding intellectual property rights and confidentiality. The plaintiff asserts that any intellectual property rights developed solely by one party should belong exclusively to that party and that Birdon was granted only a limited license to use Incat’s intellectual property for preparing the proposal and negotiating the potential USCG contract.