CubePilot Global Intensifies Efforts to Liberate Coaxial Drone Technology from Restrictive Patent Control, Advocates for Open Innovation – sUAS News

CubePilot Global, a leading proponent of open-source autopilot hardware and software for the drone industry, today announced a significant step in its mission to foster innovation and collaboration: the formal initiation of an ex parte reexamination of U.S. Patent No. 8,328,128, related to coaxial drone technology.This action follows CubePilot Global’s unsuccessful attempt to acquire the patent to release it to the public domain during Nordic Unmanned’s recent bankruptcy proceedings.The patent in question, US 8,328,128, originated from an international patent application (PCT/DE2007/000592) filed on 31 March 2007 by Burkhard Wiggerich of AirRobot GmbH & Co. KG, protects multirotor drones using multiple coaxial, counter-rotating propeller units for autonomous flight control.Its ownership recently transitioned to Nordic Unmanned Holding AS following the bankruptcy of Nordic Unmanned ASA, which had previously acquired AirRobot in October 2021. AirRobot and its assets, excluding this patent, were subsequently acquired by Quantum-Systems GmbH in March 2025.“We firmly believe that foundational drone technologies should be accessible to all, driving collective progress rather than stifling it through proprietary control,” stated Philip Rowse for CubePilot Global.“Our initial bid to acquire and open-source this patent during the bankruptcy process was a direct reflection of this philosophy. While that attempt was unsuccessful, our commitment to open innovation remains unwavering.”The formal reexamination request, filed with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) on 12 May 2025 by CubePilot, challenges the patent’s validity on grounds of obviousness. CubePilot contends that the claims of the patent were not novel in light of extensive prior art, including but not limited to:•ES 2268941A1•US 2006/0226281A1•US 2006/016930A1•US 7,712,701B1•JP 2002370696A•DE 102005010336A1•DE 202005004698U1•US 3,053,480•GB 617290•KR 200414580Y1•JP 1992060297U•WO 2008/000203A1 (the original PCT application by Wiggerich)Industry commentators have previously questioned the novelty of AirRobot’s invention, pointing to the long history of coaxial rotor technology, including Henry Bright’s 1859 patent and the Gyrodyne QH-50 DASH drones from the 1960s. This reexamination seeks a formal review of these historical precedents to determine if the patent claims were indeed obvious in light of prior art.“The principle of coaxial rotors has existed for well over a century, with significant theoretical and experimental research documented over the past half-century, notably in NASA Technical Paper 3675 from 1997. Claiming a fundamental invention of coaxial rotors today is a significant overstatement,” the spokesperson added.CubePilot Global remains open to dialogue with the current controlling entity of the patent Knut Roar Wiig’s, Nordic Unmanned. “Our offer to acquire this patent to dedicate it to the public domain still stands. We urge Nordic Unmanned to consider the immense benefits of an open-source approach for the wider drone community, which would undoubtedly accelerate advancements and expand the market for everyone involved, rather than pursuing restrictive enforcement strategies that stifle innovation,” the spokesperson concluded.CubePilot Global’s ongoing efforts underscore the tension between proprietary intellectual property and the growing demand for open standards and shared technological foundations within the rapidly evolving unmanned systems industry.

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