First, weapons manufacturer Haenel was awarded the contract to procure new assault rifles for the German armed forces. Due to a patent infringement, however, the order was withdrawn and the competitor Heckler
The Thuringian arms manufacturer C. G. Haenel has failed in its appeal against an award procedure for the procurement of new assault rifles for the German Armed Forces before the Düsseldorf Higher Regional Court. Haenel was rightly excluded from the award procedure "due to serious professional misconduct" because the company violated the patent rights of its competitor Heckler with an assault rifle
With the supply of assault rifles to Mexico in 2006–09 by Heckler
Both companies had submitted offers in a Europe-wide tendering process for the procurement of new assault rifles. First, Haenel was awarded the contract. In March 2021, however, the Federal Ministry of Defense informed the weapons manufacturer that it was excluding the company from the process due to patent infringement and Heckler instead
With a so-called review application, Haenel failed before the public procurement chamber of the Federal Cartel Office. The Higher Regional Court has now confirmed this decision. The decision is final. The Federal Patent Court in Munich is currently dealing with another procedure in the dispute because Haenel considers the disputed patent to be invalid.
