The legal and leadership team at SIG Sauer have announced a victory today in a patent infringement case brought forth by Steyr Arms. The claim, as described in a complaint filed in the Northern District of Alabama in 2017 had previously alleged that SIG infringed on Steyr’s patent #6,260,301. The “301“ patent claim took aim at the plastic frame and metal trigger housing module that is characteristic of the SIG P250 and P320 handguns.

The patent infringement claim background and the SIG Sauer press release can be found below.

From the referenced patent owned by Steyr Arms:

A pistol comprising a housing; a barrel slide movably mounted on the housing for movement in a firing direction with respect to a barrel; and a trigger mechanism located, at least in part, within the housing, the improvement which comprises a multifunction metal part removably insertable within said housing, said multifunction metal part being provided with guides for the barrel slide and means for supporting the trigger mechanism, said multifunction metal part and housing are each provided with a transverse hole which receives a shaft for connecting the housing and the multifunction metal part together, the housing has a rear wall which is provided with a recess for receiving a projection on the multifunction metal part the multifunction metal part includes control means for locking said barrel in the barrel slide.

The Steyr Arms claims (excerpts) as outlined in the lawsuit:

SIG SAUER has infringed and is continuing to infringe claim 1 of the `301 Patent by manufacturing, importing, distributing, marketing, offering for sale, and selling pistols having a plastic housing and multifunction metal part removably mounted therein (hereinafter “the Accused Products”). The Accused Products include, but are not limited to, the SIG SAUER P250 and P320 pistols. … The frame assembly includes a projection in the form of a locking tab which is received in a recess or mating slot inside the rear of the grip module (Exhibit C, p. 52). The trigger mechanism is located at least in part within the grip module and is supported on the frame assembly (Exhibit C, pp. 50, 52 and 63). The frame assembly also includes guides for the barrel slide. Lastly, the frame assembly includes control means in the form of a pin for locking the barrel in the barrel slide (Exhibit C, pp. 62 and 63). … SIG SAUER’s infringement of the `301 Patent has been without license from

STEYR and in violation of STEYR’s patent rights, and it is believed that SIG SAUER will continue to infringe STEYR’s patent rights unless enjoined by this Court.

P320 News: SIG SAUER Wins Patent Infringement Case from Steyr Arms

NEWINGTON, N.H., (March 11, 2020) – SIG SAUER, Inc., a leading provider of firearms, optics, ammunition, suppressors, and training is pleased to officially announce the company has prevailed in the patent infringement lawsuit from Steyr Arms in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Hampshire. Judge Joseph DiClerico, Jr. granted SIG SAUER’s motion for summary judgment, finding that SIG SAUER did not infringe Steyr’s patents, and dismissed all motions.

Tom Taylor, Chief Marketing Officer, and Executive Vice President, Commercial Sales made the following statement:

“We are extremely pleased with this ruling in favor of the SIG SAUER P320, the world’s most innovative handgun, and the SIG SAUER P250, which introduced modularity to the firearms market. The state-of-the-art SIG SAUER P320 is one of the most sought after firearms on the market, with its unmatched modularity, unprecedented accuracy, and uncompromising reliability. It has been chosen by all branches of the U.S. Military, as well as other domestic and global law enforcement agencies, and military units around the world. The P320 has truly redefined the modern handgun, and we are proud to have the years of extensive research and engineering that went into its design reaffirmed through this judgement.”