Ukraine has long and often asked for it, and many allied states have already supplied it: the “Leopard” tank. The two armaments companies Krauss-Maffei Wegmann and Rheinmetall produce it together – although they are competitors: The “Leopard 2” was developed by Krauss-Maffei, but according to the company Rheinmetall contributes the cannon, ammunition, fire control system and command system.
But a dispute has broken out over the question of who owns the copyrights to the combat vehicle, which is now going to court: The Munich-based company Krauss-Maffei Wegmann (KMW) wants to prohibit Rheinmetall from claiming that the rights to the “Leopard” up to and including version 2A4 at Rheinmetall. The Munich I district court wants to hear the case on May 2, as a court spokeswoman told the DPA on Tuesday. The “Neue Zürcher Zeitung” reported first.
The court did not name the companies in dispute, but there is no doubt who the parties are: Rheinmetall boss Armin Papperger claimed the rights for Rheinmetall in an interview with the “NZZ”: “We built a thousand Leopard 2A4, and that based on our own intellectual property.” According to the court, KMW objects to these statements as “untrue, misleading factual allegations that violate their rights”.
As the “NZZ” reports, KMW had demanded a cease-and-desist declaration from Rheinmetall because of the interview statements. The group based in Düsseldorf should therefore assure that it will refrain from making the allegations in the future, which Rheinmetall has rejected. As a result, Krauss-Maffei Wegmann brought an action for an injunction before the Munich I Regional Court.
On the Rheinmetall company website, the Düsseldorf-based company also credits the development of the tank to KMW, regardless of the Papperger interview: “The Leopard 2 from Krauss-Maffei Wegmann (KMW) is the most powerful main battle tank in the world and at the same time the weapon system with the widest international distribution.” , it says there.
Krauss-Maffei Wegmann and Rheinmetall are among the largest armaments groups in Germany. Although both are competitors, they work together on some projects. These include, for example, the “Puma” infantry fighting vehicle and the “Boxer” armored transport vehicle.
Sources: DPA news agency, Rheinmetall, “Neue Zürcher Zeitung”
