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Wisk v. Archer: Inside a Bitter eVTOL Trade Secret Lawsuit

Hundreds of millions of dollars are potentially at stake in a court battle over two designs for electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft.

Wisk’s and Archer’s eVTOL designs look similar in this comparison. Courtesy: U.S. District Court
Gemini Sparkle

Key Takeaways:

  • Wisk Aero and Archer Aviation are engaged in a high-stakes legal battle, with Wisk accusing Archer of patent infringement and trade-secret misappropriation related to its electric air taxi (eVTOL) designs.
  • Wisk's allegations include a former engineer's suspicious download of confidential files and Archer's rapid eVTOL development; Archer denies these claims, asserting independent design through external consultants and even suggesting Wisk filed its patent after learning of Archer's design.
  • The case has seen mixed judicial rulings, indicating its complexity, and highlights the difficulty of proving trade secret theft versus independent innovation in a fast-evolving industry, with a non-expert jury ultimately deciding the technically intricate dispute.
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Two ascendent aircraft manufacturers—Wisk Aero and Archer Aviation—have been locked in a bitter court battle for months, accusing each other of stealing their designs for electric air taxis. Potentially hundreds of millions of dollars are at stake as they fight to dominate an emerging industry that promises to help the environment, transform urban transportation and launch a new era in commercial aviation. 

After more than seven months of legal twists and turns, FLYING took a deep dive into the lawsuit’s allegations—and the aircraft designs—by pouring through court documents and consulting with two veteran patent attorneys. 

Thom Patterson

Thom is a former senior editor for FLYING. Previously, his freelance reporting appeared in aviation industry magazines. Thom also spent three decades as a TV and digital journalist at CNN’s bureaus in Washington and Atlanta, eventually specializing in aviation. He has reported from air shows in Oshkosh, Farnborough and Paris. Follow Thom on Twitter @thompatterson.

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