Florida-based ammunition manufacturer, Liberty Ammunition, has successfully sued the US government for in excess of $15m following after a judge ruled the Defense Department infringed on one of the company’s patents.
Liberty Ammunition, which is based in Bradenton, Florida first filed suit against the government in 2011 and claimed that the government had developed lead-free bullets which infringed on its patent. Liberty Ammunition further alleged that the government violated several non-disclosure agreements concerning its patented bullet design and also that the government unfairly claimed credit for Liberty’s breakthroughs.
According to the Bradenton Herald, Liberty Ammunition currently has nine patents and has filed for several more.
The company is known for selling ammunition to the US military, foreign military allies and US law enforcement agencies. It also markets personal defense and hunting rounds through a number of distributors and dealers.
Following the court’s December 19 decision, Liberty CEO George Philips told the Herald that he feels “totally vindicated” by court’s decision that his company is in fact the inventor of the bullet, called the “enhanced performance round”.
In the decision, US Federal Court of Claims Judge Charles Lettow ordered the government to pay Liberty Ammunition a lump sum of $15.6 million in addition to a 1.4% royalty on every bullet it buys and receives until the patent expires in 2027.
