Patent Suit Costs Rockwell $1.26 Million

Eaton Corp., the largest U.S. maker of heavy-truck transmissions, won a $1.26-million jury award Wednesday in a lawsuit alleging that a former unit of Rockwell International Corp. infringed on Eaton’s patent for a fuel-saving gear-shift system.

A U.S. District Court jury in Wilmington, Del., deliberated six hours before ruling Eaton’s patent on the transmission shift-control device was valid and Rockwell officials intentionally misappropriated the technology. That decision allows Eaton to ask a judge to triple the award.

The suit is part of Cleveland-based Eaton’s campaign to stop auto-parts competitors from using its truck-transmission technology without permission. Another patent suit against Dana Corp. over the shift-control device was settled for an undisclosed amount, said Michael King, one of Eaton’s lawyers.

Rockwell officials said they’ve spun off their automotive parts division and that new company, Meritor Automotive Inc., is responsible for paying Eaton’s patent infringement award. Meritor, based in Troy, Mich., was spun off by Rockwell in October 1997.