Stanley Black & Decker has reportedly settled a patent dispute it had with Norway-based Viking Arm involving Viking Arm’s construction jack patents and Stanley Black & Decker’s Stanley Fatmax Tradelift, DeWalt Construction Jack and Irwin Quick-Lift products. 

According to a statement from Viking Arm, Stanley Black & Decker has signed a licensing agreement with Viking Arm to use the lift technology.

Ulf Atle Hansen, CEO-Viking Arm, said, "Our vision is [that] “Viking Arm shall be recognized for its innovation, quality and speed to the market.' This agreement is a testament to that vision coming to life."

Woodworking Network reached out to a representative for Stanley Black & Decker, but did not receive a reply.

Specific details of the deal were not released.    

Viking Arm described the lift product as a hand-held tool with a lifting capacity of up to 150kg/330lb, and the possibility to lift and lower with millimeter precision. Typical applications include installation of doors, windows and cabinets as well as flooring and the construction of porches, decks and frameworks. It was launched in Norway during the fall of 2019 and the product has expanded its sales to 37 countries, including those in the European Union, and the United States.

The case was filed in April 2024, when Viking Arm AS filed a patent infringement action before the Nordic-Baltic Regional Division of the Unified Patent Court (UPC) against Stanley Black & Decker Inc. and its group companies. The action relates to what Viking Arm called an "ongoing infringement" of Viking Arm AS’ Unitary Patent EP 3953541 (EP’541)  The UPC is a common supranational patent court of 18 member states of the European Union, which opened in June 2023.

The company, in a 2024 statement, said that Stanley Black & Decker Inc. and its group companies' had refused to "cease and desist" marketing a lowering mechanism for a handheld jacking tool in countries across the globe, including the UPC Member States. "Viking Arm AS is of the opinion infringes upon EP'541, Viking Arm AS has commenced infringement action against Stanley Group before the Nordic-Baltic Regional Division of UPC," they said in the statement.

In August 2024, Viking Arm claimed in a story in Finansavisen.com, The Norwegian Financial Daily, and republished on Viking Arms' website, that an unnamed chief mechanical engineer at Stanley Black & Decker had ordered ten units of the Viking Arm and then, in March, Stanley Black & Decker launched a jack under the Stanley Fatmax brand. It wasn't clear as to whether that introduction came in 2024. 

In the story, owner and chairman of Viking Arm, Øivind Resch, made a conservative calculation of what he believed Stanley owed his company. He placed the figure at EUR 15 million, but called it a provisional figure and that the company was not bound to that sum.