Archer Aviation files patent infringement complaint against Vertical

Archer has told Globalair that yesterday it filed a patent infringement complaint in the Eastern District of Texas against Vertical's Valo aircraft. Archer claims that Vertical has abandoned its VX4 aircraft and unveiled the Valo, which illegally copies Archer's Midnight aircraft. The suit states that Vertical infringed two of Midnight's design patents (U.S. Patent No. D1,062,878 and U.S. Patent No. D1,067,164) by mimicking the visual identity of the Midnight aircraft's V-tail, fuselage, and wing configurations. It also claims it infringes a utility patent (U.S. Patent No. 11,945,597) that covers flight control systems used to manage electric propulsion units and battery power on its tilting architecture. Vertical is publicly showcasing and promoting the Valo in U.S. cities like New York and Miami. Archer states that the events are incredibly similar to its own events held in New York and Miami in 2025 that showcased the Midnight's and the company's plans for air taxi routes. "Vertical has knowingly, willfully, and in reckless disregard leveraged and exploited the substantial goodwill and reputation associated with Archer's patented designs," said the suit "Vertical's infringement is readily apparent from a visual comparison of the overall appearance of the Valo to Archer's patented designs." RELATED STORIES: Archer to develop aviation AI technology with NVIDIA IGX Thor Archer plans for air taxi network connecting multiple areas in Florida Neighbors concerned about Archer at Hawthorne Airport Archer's suit landed on the same day Vertical experienced a sharp drop in stock after Raymond James Financial downgraded its credit rating from Hold to Sell. The downgrade was due to concerns about liquidity and the ability to raise capital. The analyst named Archer as the only Outperform-rated eVTOL stock and claimed that Vertical is at risk of losing engineering talent to Archer's new U.K. engineering hub in Bristol.