German companies settle the dispute over the Leopard 2 rights

German defense companies have settled a legal dispute over the intellectual property rights to the Leopard 2 main battle tank.

Reuters reported about this.

The arms manufacturers Rheinmetall and Krauss-Maffei Wegmann have settled a legal dispute. The companies were debating who had the sole ownership of the Leopard 2 main battle tank.

On Tuesday, May 2, the district court in Munich announced that the proceedings, in this case, were closed due to the dispute settlement between the parties. It offered no further details.

The conflict started over an interview with NZZ journalists that Armin Papperger, Rheinmetall CEO, gave in mid-March.

He then stated that “Rheinmetall owns the rights to the Leopard 2A4.” However, according to representatives of Krauss-Maffei Wegmann, this is a misleading statement. The company considers the Leopard 2 tank to be its product and intellectual property.

It was previously reported that Krauss-Maffei Wegmann had demanded a statement from Rheinmetall to waive its claims to the Leopard 2, but Rheinmetall did not do so.

It should be noted that Krauss-Maffei Wegmann builds the body and chassis of the Leopard 2 tank, and Rheinmetall produces the turret and gun.

Rheinmetall claimed that both parties had sought to settle the dispute as quickly as possible to return to day-to-day business.

“In the statements that have been the subject of the complaint, neither Mr. Papperger nor Rheinmetall AG wanted or want to suggest that Rheinmetall AG has exclusive rights to the Leopard 2A4 main battle tank,” the company stated.

In April 2023, the Rheinmetall defense concern has become a subcontractor for the production of components for the new Leopard 2A7 tanks, which were ordered for the Norwegian army.

On February 17, 2023, the Norwegian procurement agency NDMA contracted Krauss-Maffei Wegmann (KMW) to supply the Norwegian armed forces with 54 of the latest version of Leopard 2 main battle tank, the A7 NOR. Rheinmetall has made a statement that it would produce equipment and components for the new Leopard 2A7 tanks under the said order.