Bobcat Sparks Global Patent War With Caterpillar Over Machines

Doosan Bobcat Inc. filed patent-infringement complaints at a US trade agency and in Texas federal court Tuesday seeking to block imports and sales of Caterpillar Inc.'s earthmoving equipment and components.

The Korean company’s Doosan Bobcat North America Inc. unit sued Caterpillar and Holt Group—the US’s largest Caterpillar dealer—in the US District Court for the Eastern District of Texas alleging that a wide range of machines equipped with features such as Stick Steer, E-Fence, Drive Power Priority, and adaptive engine-speed controls infringe five patents covering tracked-vehicle systems, lift-arm safety zones, hydraulic shifting, and engine-speed control.

The Texas suit targets Caterpillar machines ...