Combatants now colleagues in RV supplier space
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One-time court litigants battling over patent infringement are now colleagues in Elkhart County’s RV supplier industry. Lippert Components Inc., through its subsidiary Furrion LLC, has acquired substantially all of the business assets for Way Interglobal Network LLC. All of the companies are based in Elkhart.
In July 2019, Furrion filed a lawsuit in federal court against Way Interglobal, claiming patent and trademark infringement.
In the lawsuit, Furrion claimed Way violated Furrion’s intellectual property by selling its 2-in-1 range ovens that are used in recreational vehicles. In response, Way called the lawsuit “frivolous.”
The lawsuit was filed before Lippert parent LCI Industries (NYSE: LCII) acquired Furrion in September 2021.
Way designs, develops, and supplies appliances and electronics to the RV Industry and are sold under the Everchill and Greystone brands.
LCI says the Way brand will not be carried forward after the acquisition, however the product branding will be added to Lippert’s portfolio of appliance offerings.
LCI says the acquisition does not include Way’s current power generator assets and operations.
The acquisition also gives Lippert a combined 1.6 million square feet in appliance warehousing space.