IP Business Consultants
What is the value of a patent on ski bindings?
First stop in expensive patent dispute
On July 1, 2022, the Oslo District Court ruled in favor of Rottefella and Madshus in the patent case against Amer Sports (Salomon and Atomic).
The trial in Oslo District Court concerned patent rights for removable bindings for cross-country skis and a solution for easy adjustment and mounting of bindings on the ski. Rottefella sells the product MOVE with this technology, while Amer has launched its binding Shift-In with a similar solution.
In short, Rottefella won, and the Amer Sports companies must withdraw their Shift-In bindings. The verdict can currently be appealed. For a more detailed explanation of the law in the case, I recommend Julius Berg Kaasin's text on the blog IP-trollet, here .
I want to focus on why it makes sense to spend multiple millions to patent such a small improvement to ski bindings, and if so, why?
A small lead
The patent case is about a solution that allows you to easily adjust and adjust the position of the ski binding on the cross-country ski, often while on the trail.
Ten or twenty years ago this would have been considered a nice gimmick, but hardly anything more. In 2022, on the other hand, this is a key patent for dominating the cross-country skiing market.
Joint skis have quickly taken over the cross-country ski market. They provide superior grip and glide compared to the old “lubricant-free” skis, and are far easier to use and maintain than grease skis. The battle for the cross-country ski market is thus a battle to become the preferred grease-free solution.
On skis, however, the position of the pressure point on the ski is even more crucial for both grip and glide than with lubricated skis. To achieve the best experience on skis, you should therefore stand far forward for the best grip on steep slopes, and far back for better glide on downhill slopes. Therefore, removable bindings are the key to the best experience.
But the competitive advantage doesn't stop there...
A big win
Equally important to the value of these patents is the role of the bond as a link between the products.
Besides poles, you need skis, bindings and boots to go skiing. The boots must fit the binding, and the binding must fit the ski. In this way, the binding acts as a key to the choice of both skis and boots.
If you have the preferred binding patent, you can largely control the customer's choice of skis and boots. The patent thus determines not only which bindings you choose, but the entire ski slope.
Limited costs
Patenting is expensive, and enforcing patents even more so. One may wonder whether such processes are really worth the tens of millions that parties must be expected to spend on patents. After all, cross-country skiing is a small sport with few active countries.
However, this will help with costs. Solutions with low production costs and universal global importance, such as pharmaceuticals, must be protected worldwide to be sufficiently secured. This entails very high costs with processes in each region and country and the coordination of these.
This is easier for cross-country patents. By protecting the solution in a few main markets, you will soon have sufficient protection. Similarly, for example, a method for fish farming in saltwater would doubtless need protection in Switzerland.
This, together with the great importance of patents for market position, means that patenting probably makes good sense for Rottefella here.
There is definitely a lot to save by not uncritically patenting everything, everywhere, always. But then it is also important to see when patenting is really worth it.
Silk road for the IP strategy
A number of external factors influence the success of this IP strategy.
As mentioned, the function has extra value for community skiing, but larger market trends also come into play.
Firstly, customers are increasingly reluctant to install their own bindings. When we used to drill and screw the bindings in at home, you could freely choose which binding you chose for your skis. Now skis are usually delivered from the factory or shop with a pre-installed attachment system, which binds you to a given choice of binding. This is also desirable for the sales team, as this process allows them to compete on service, not just price when selling online.
A good patent alone is worth nothing. The great value of a patent comes from the right timing and provides a lasting competitive advantage.
If Rottefella truly succeeds, Move will become an integral part of cross-country skiers' experience of better glide and grip with group skis. This has value far beyond the binding itself, by further strengthening the Rottefella brand long after patent protection has expired.
Find your key patent
All industries can learn from Rottefella's IP strategy here. It's not enough that the solution is technically ingenious. The solution can be simple.
The value lies in the sum of the protection and the competitive advantage it gives you.
