Why We Filed Suit Against WCP – A Message from REV Robotics

At REV Robotics, our mission has always been to empower students, mentors, and teams through innovation and accessible technology. We are passionate about the work we do and deeply committed to building tools that make a positive impact in competitive robotics — especially in programs like FIRST.

Today, we want to speak directly to the community about a decision we didn’t take lightly: filing a patent infringement lawsuit against West Coast Products (WCP).

We understand that legal action between vendors in a close-knit community like this one can raise questions and concerns, so we want to be transparent about why we’re doing this, how we got here, and what we hope happens next.

The Patent in Question
This lawsuit is about U.S. Patent No. 12,115,813, which covers aspects of our REV ION product line, more specifically the MAXSpline standard we developed to provide teams with a versatile, reliable, and easy-to-use motion system. We believe that WCP’s SplineXL product directly infringes on this patent.

Our patent application was published in the fall of 2023, and the patent itself was officially granted in October 2024. Since the application became public, we have had numerous conversations with WCP in an effort to resolve the matter privately. We hoped that once the patent was issued, we could come to a mutually respectful agreement. Unfortunately, despite multiple attempts to reach a resolution, the infringement continued — leaving us no choice but to defend our intellectual property through legal channels.

Why This Matters
We know that many in the community may not like the idea of lawsuits between vendors — and we get it. But this action isn’t about trying to harm a competitor or dominate the market. It’s about protecting the investments we make to bring new ideas to life.

Developing products like MAXSpline requires time, money, and risk. Patents exist to give companies the confidence that those efforts — and the value they create — can’t simply be copied without consequence. In a small market like competitive educational robotics, intellectual property rights help make innovation sustainable.

We fully support competition. It drives everyone forward. But competition should happen in a way that respects the boundaries of intellectual property, just like we’ve always strived to do at REV.

What We Hope Happens Next
Even though we’ve filed this lawsuit, our hope remains that this issue can be resolved amicably. We are still open to having constructive conversations and reaching a fair outcome that reflects the work and innovation that went into our product.

We want to be clear: this action is strictly between REV and WCP. It will not affect teams or students, and we are as committed as ever to supporting the community with high-quality products and resources.

To the Community
We know that many FIRST participants — students, mentors, volunteers — are learning not only how to build robots, but how to be ethical, professional engineers. Part of that is understanding how intellectual property fits into the world of technology. Respecting IP doesn't mean ideas can’t be shared — it means that when someone creates something new and valuable, there’s a process in place to protect it, and encourage others to do the same.

REV Robotics has always stood for innovation, accessibility, and fairness. Filing this lawsuit doesn’t change that. We’re defending our ability to keep bringing new solutions to you — the teams and mentors who inspire us every day.

Thank you for your continued support.