Vertiv's Power Distribution Unit Patent Suit Against Legrand Moves From El Paso to Delaware.

How the case reached Delaware

Vertiv filed Vertiv Corporation v. Legrand DPC, LLC, No. 3:26-cv-00636 (W.D. Tex.), on March 5, 2026, against Legrand DPC, LLC alone. The case was assigned to Judge Kathleen Cardone. On June 1, 2026, Vertiv filed a First Amended Complaint that added Legrand North America, LLC as a defendant, and both defendants returned waivers of service in June.

The Western District of Texas docket lists a motion to dismiss on September 16, 2026, a motion to transfer on October 9, 2026, and an October 15, 2026 order on the motion to dismiss and the motion to transfer. The case was transferred to the District of Delaware the same day and opened there as No. 1:26-cv-01326, with no judge yet assigned. The transfer order is not publicly available as of this writing, so this page does not describe its reasoning or what it did with the motion to dismiss.

The parties and the patents

The First Amended Complaint says Vertiv is an Ohio corporation based in Westerville, Ohio, and, on information and belief, that both Legrand defendants are Delaware entities based in West Hartford, Connecticut. The complaint alleges, on information and belief and citing state corporate records, that Server Technology, Inc., Raritan, Inc., and Raritan Americas, Inc. merged into Legrand DPC, LLC in mid-2022 and that Server Technology and Raritan now operate as brands of Legrand DPC.

U.S. Patent 9,728,918, titled Distribution Strip, issued August 8, 2017, to inventors Josef Feigl and Christian Stepputat, with Knuerr GmbH of Arnstorf, Germany, named as assignee on its face. Claim 1 covers a distribution strip for device or server cabinets with upper, lower, and two side faces and two end faces enclosing an inner chamber, a feed cable on the first end face and connecting means on the upper face, where the first end face forms an inner angle of more than 105 degrees with a side face, a tapered depression in the first end face has a passage opening for the feed cable that is larger than the cable, and a flexible sealing sleeve around the cable lets it move inside the opening.

Google Patents lists Vertiv S.R.L., an Italian company, as the current assignee of the '918 patent, based on a 2022 recorded assignment from Vertiv Integrated Systems GmbH (formerly Knuerr GmbH). The First Amended Complaint alleges that Vertiv Corporation is the assignee and owner of all three asserted patents.

U.S. Patent 10,541,501, titled Apparatus for Providing Power for Multiple Types of Plugs via a Single Receptacle, issued January 21, 2020, to inventors Gordon Hutchison, Sam Riley, Andrew Case, Simon Lewis, and Brad Wilson, with Vertiv Corporation named as applicant and assignee on its face. It was filed November 2, 2018, claiming a November 2, 2017 provisional. Claim 7 covers a receptacle assembly whose receptacle has at least three terminals in a housing configured to connect with one of multiple plug types, including a C14 plug and a C20 plug. Claim 1 adds a flange at the base of the receptacle housing for a more secure fit with either plug type, and claim 14 claims a casing holding a plurality of such flanged receptacles.

U.S. Patent 7,522,036, titled Integrated Power and Environmental Monitoring Electrical Distribution System, issued April 21, 2009, to inventors Jesse Preuss, Brad Wilson, and Tom Kennedy, with Geist Manufacturing, Inc. of Lincoln, Nebraska, named as assignee on its face. It was filed December 29, 2005, claiming a December 29, 2004 provisional, and the face shows a 184-day term adjustment. Claim 1 covers a system with a power distribution unit having a receptacle, a power monitoring system for a power consumption characteristic, an environmental monitoring system for a characteristic of the surrounding physical environment, a network connector, and a common interface reachable through the connector that the power and environmental monitoring systems share. Claim 9 claims the same monitoring system for use in a power distribution unit, and claim 17 claims a method of sensing both characteristics, detecting when either reaches an alarm threshold, and transmitting an alarm through the network connector.

What the First Amended Complaint alleges

The accused products are ServerTech PRO4X, PRO3X, PRO2, and PRO1 power distribution units and Raritan PX3 and PX4 rack power distribution units, alone or together with Server Technology and Raritan environmental sensors. The complaint accuses the PRO4X and PX4 lines under the '918 patent; the PRO4X, PRO3X, PRO2, PRO1, and PX4 lines under the '501 patent; and the PRO4X, PRO3X, PRO2, PX3, and PX4 lines under the '036 patent, using the PRO4X as the exemplary product in claim charts attached as Exhibits I, J, and K.

Each count alleges direct infringement under 35 U.S.C. 271(a), literally or under the doctrine of equivalents, and induced infringement under section 271(b): at least claim 1 of the '918 patent, claims 1, 7, and 14 of the '501 patent, and claims 1, 9, and 17 of the '036 patent. Only the '036 count adds contributory infringement under section 271(c). Each count alleges willful infringement after Legrand learned of the patent.

On notice, the complaint alleges that Vertiv marks its products and lists patents on a virtual marking web page, that Legrand had notice on issuance of each patent because, on information and belief, it monitors competitors' patents, and that Vertiv sent Legrand a letter inviting a license on or around October 15, 2025. It says the parties have continued discussions without reaching a resolution. It also alleges that the patents cover Vertiv's Geist line of rack transfer switches and rack power distribution units and, on information and belief, that the two companies compete in the data center infrastructure market.

Relief requested

The prayer asks for judgments of direct and induced infringement of each patent and contributory infringement of the '036 patent; damages under 35 U.S.C. 284 with interest and costs; a permanent injunction under 35 U.S.C. 283; increased damages; and an exceptional-case finding with attorney fees under 35 U.S.C. 285. Vertiv demands a jury. The amended pleading was signed by Robert P. Earle of Scott Douglass & McConnico LLP in Austin, Texas, with Benesch, Friedlander, Coplan & Aronoff LLP attorneys listed from Chicago, San Francisco, and Columbus. Delaware counsel had not appeared on the public docket as of this writing.

What to watch next

Watch for the transfer order to become public, which would show the court's reasons and how it disposed of the motion to dismiss.

Watch for judicial assignment in Delaware, the appearance of Delaware counsel, and a schedule for Legrand's response to the First Amended Complaint.

Watch how the parties treat the '036 patent's term. Google Patents lists the '036 patent as "Expired - Lifetime," with an expiration date of July 1, 2026, a month after the First Amended Complaint was filed. The complaint does not address expiration.

The case can end at any time, including by settlement or voluntary dismissal, and the complaint says license discussions have continued.