Bitter fight over EGPWS patents triggers full-scale war of words | Aviation International News

Bitter fight over EGPWS patents triggers full-scale war of words

The legal battle over EGPWS patents between Honeywell and competing manufacturers of TAWS avionics has stretched the limits of civil debate as executives o

By Stephen Pope

January 9, 2008

The legal battle over EGPWS patents between Honeywell and competing manufacturers of TAWS avionics has stretched the limits of civil debate as executives on both sides of the imbroglio now find themselves locked in a war of rhetoric aimed at telling why the other side is wrong.

Among the biggest questions at this point centers on how a fight over intellectual-property rights will play into customers’ decision-making as it relates to the FAA’s TAWS equipment mandate in March 2005. The sale of TAWS avionics means big money to manufacturers and dealers–to the tune of about a half-billion dollars for the required hardware in addition to the cost for installations. With so much at stake, the rancor at times has gotten downright ugly.

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