Earlier today Paul Leitner-Wise of Leitner-Wise Manufacturing filed a lawsuit for patent infringement against LWRC and Sig Sauer. If you are unfamiliar with Mr. Leitner-Wise you may be familiar with the company he founded, LWRC or Leitner-Wise Rifle Company. Mr. Leitner-Wise is the patent holder for the self-cleaning gas operating system that LWRC currently uses on their piston driven rifles.

Mr. Leitner-Wise sold LWRC in 2005 and remained an employee of the company, in 2006 Leitner-Wise left the employ of LWRC. Part of the employment contract as outlined in the relevant facts section of the suit is Mr. Leitner-Wise was to be paid a 0.5% royalty from the net sale of every rifle that used his piston system. The suit goes on to state that the contract was removed from his possession at some time around when Leitner-Wise’s employment ceased.

The lawsuit also goes on to name Sig Sauer as a defendant, claiming they are using Leitner-Wise’s design in the Sig 516 rifle without paying proper royalties. The suit then goes on to request that Sig pay according to the same royalty agreement that LWRC aggreed to when Leitner-Wise signed on as an employee. Over a dozen other rifle designs were named in the suit as using the patent, some of the more notable ones being the Sig MCX, the Sig 516 and the Sig 716.

You can read the entire lawsuit by clicking here.

As always expect us to update you as we learn more about the status of the lawsuit.