Nov 27, 2009 12:50 pm US/Central
Local Man Takes On Ford, Is Awarded Millions
AURORA, Ill. (Sun-Times Media Wire) ―
Jacob Krippelz's long road from creation to vindication has taken almost 20 years.
In the early 1990s, the Aurora man patented a sideview mirror light. Because he bought Ford trucks and liked Mercedes-Benz, Krippelz sent the patents to both companies.
"Ford turned him down. Mercedes turned him down," Krippelz's attorney, James Ryndak, said Wednesday.
Fast-forward to 1997. Krippelz walked into a Ford dealership in St. Charles and was greeted by a salesman congratulating him on selling the so-called "puddle lamp" idea to Ford, which had put the lights on 1998 Ford Explorer models.
"He was shocked," Ryndak said of Krippelz's reaction.
That discovery set off an 11-year legal journey in federal court where Ford was eventually found to have infringed on Krippelz's idea and, as a result, a jury and judge this year have awarded Krippelz $44 million. Add in another $11 million in interest since Ford's first act of infringement, and you have about $55 million in damages against Ford, Ryndak explained.
"They made use of this invention, put it on millions of vehicles and made a huge profit," Ryndak said, adding the damages are a small fraction of what Ford made selling vehicles with the feature. "I think he's very pleased he's been vindicated by the jury."
A final judgment should be entered in the coming weeks by U.S. District Judge James Zagel, which would be followed by post-trial motions and the possibility of an appeal by Ford.
Since January, when the jury returned its verdict and initial damages, attorneys for Krippelz have turned down requests for interviews with the Krippelz family. Krippelz, along with his sons Joseph and Jacob Jr., operates Jake's Inc. in Aurora. The machining and heavy equipment component manufacturing company also has a plant in Mexico.
Zagel tacked on additional damages last week after finding that the car manufacturer willfully infringed on the patent. Ryndak tied that to Ford's continued use of Krippelz's lights on 10 different vehicle models during the case's duration.
In a 33-page ruling last week, Zagel summed up the case by going back to the beginning, when Krippelz shared his design with Ford — a point of some contention during the complex lawsuit.
"The sending of the patent made good sense for Krippelz. He was not in a position to put his invention into commerce; he did not make automobiles or their parts," Zagel wrote. "His market was automakers and their suppliers. It is quite reasonable that he would send his patent, once issued, to an automaker, and that is what he did."
A Ford spokesman declined comment.
(Source: Sun-Times Media Wire © Chicago Sun-Times 2009. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
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