Arri settles patent lawsuit with Rotolight

Arri and Rotolight have reached an agreement in their legal dispute over the latter’s CineSFX special effects patent, the companies have announced.

Arri has agreed a settlement with the UK-based lighting manufacturer and no longer contests Rotolight’s patents. According to a joint official statement from the two firms:

“ARRI has agreed to a settlement with Rotolight, relating to Rotolight’s cinematic special effects “CineSFX®” patent portfolio in the US, UK, and Europe. ARRI no longer contests the validity of Rotolight’s patents and has withdrawn its Inter Partes Review in the US accordingly. Simultaneously, Rotolight has withdrawn its US District patent court action against ARRI. All ARRI products will continue to be offered as always. ARRI and Rotolight respect intellectual property and value fair competition”.

The dispute began back in 2021 when Arri objected to a number of patents Rotolight was awarded for its CineSFX and Magic Eye effects, claiming they weren’t new technology but rather refinements of Arri’s own inventions. Rotolight disagreed, stating that it developed its technologies internally with the help of Emmy-winning visual FX artist Stefan Lange.

Rotolight also found itself playing defence last year over the same patents in lawsuits filed by Vitec (now Videndum), which is the parent company of brands such as Manfrotto, Lowepro, Gitzo, Joby and Litepanels, the latter of which also disputed Rotolight’s claim to its technology.

Rod Aaron Gammons, CEO, Rotolight, said: “Rotolight invests millions each year into research and development in order to bring its customers the latest in lighting technology and innovation. However, such investments can only be made with the knowledge that those investments and the intellectual property, which underpins them will be respected. We are therefore pleased to have reached a settlement with ARRI, and shall continue to take all steps necessary to protect our intellectual property from ongoing infringement. In so doing, this will allow us to continue to invest in bringing industry-first innovations to market. Any other infringing companies should now proactively approach Rotolight directly, to secure a licensing agreement on reasonable commercial terms.”