Football helmet-makers Riddell, Schutt butt heads in patent lawsuit

CHICAGO-The two largest football helmet manufacturers in the U.S. are once again butting heads in court over allegations of patent infringement.

Schutt Sports of downstate Litchfield, Ill., filed a federal lawsuit Thursday against Rosemont-based Riddell over football helmet technologies. The complaint identifies a number of models, including Riddell's SpeedFlex, Revolution Speed and Revolution Speed Classic, as employing three of Schutt's patents.

The lawsuit seeks an injunction preventing Riddell from using the patents without permission, along with unspecified damages.

"Schutt continues to set the standard for innovative football technologies," Robert Erb, president and CEO of Schutt, said in a news release. "We take the violation of our intellectual property rights seriously and intend to vigorously defend our patent rights when competitors such as Riddell use our patented technology without permission."

Riddell spokeswoman Erin Griffin said Friday that the company does not comment on pending litigation.

Riddell filed a lawsuit last year in a Chicago federal court alleging three patent infringements by Schutt. That case is ongoing.

The two firms have been engaged in patent infringement lawsuits since 2008, with Schutt filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2010 after losing a $29 million judgment to Riddell. Los Angeles-based Platinum Equity acquired Schutt in an auction for a reported $33 million.

Founded in Evanston in 1929, Riddell was located in Chicago for many years before moving to Rosemont in 2005. Its equipment is manufactured at a plant in Elyria, Ohio.

Riddell is part of BRG Sports, which is owned by Fenway Partners, a private equity firm based in New York.

While there is no official helmet of the NFL, Riddell and Schutt dominate the field and the broader high school and college markets. About 37 percent of NFL players use Schutt helmets, while 60 percent wear Riddell, according to the companies.

NFL players can wear any helmet certified to be in compliance with National Operating Committee on Standards for Athletic Equipment standards, according to NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy.

With increased focus on concussions and findings of chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE, in former players, the league has released results from its 2017 helmet lab testing to determine which helmet best reduced head impact severity. Schutt and Riddell were well-represented among the top performers, including several of the models named in their respective lawsuits.

The top performing helmet, however, is a newcomer: the Vicis Zero1. The new technology developed by Seattle-based Vicis features a soft outer shell and an underlying layer of columns designed to reduce head trauma from collisions.

Some NFL players are expected to begin wearing the Vicis helmets this season.

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