Rottefella wins another patent victory against Amer Sports

Norwegian binding maker Rottefella has won another significant patent victory in the Oslo District Court, preventing Amer Sports, owner of Atomic and Salomon, from selling and marketing their Shift and Shift Race binding systems. The ruling follows similar decisions in previous cases and is a win for Rottefella, which has accused Amer Sports of multiple patent violations.

“It is disappointing that Salomon and Atomic still refuse to take responsibility for their actions and the consequences they have caused,” said Halvor Manshaus, partner at law firm Schjødt, representing Rottefella. He added that the Oslo court characterized the patent infringement as “grossly negligent” and “highly culpable.”

Rottefella’s Move binding system has been a patented leader in ski technology, allowing skiers to adjust bindings easily for optimal performance across conditions. The court’s decision means thousands of skis equipped with Shift bindings must be removed from stores, potentially affecting athletes and retailers ahead of the busy winter season.

“This type of uncertainty is the last thing both the industry and athletes need,” stated Rottefella CEO Torstein Myklebostad. While expressing regret over the impact on retailers and athletes, Myklebostad stressed, “The responsibility lies entirely with Salomon and Atomic.”

The ruling, delivered on Oct. 10, marks another step in protecting Rottefella’s innovations, which Myklebostad noted “require significant investments” and are essential to both customer satisfaction and sports industry profits.