eVTOL Air Taxi Sector Mired in Legal Battles: Joby and Archer Go to War
The U.S. eVTOL air taxi industry is facing a serious legal storm. Joby Aviation and Archer Aviation filed mutual lawsuits last year — Joby alleging trade secret theft, Archer counter-claiming Joby concealed ties to China. In February, Archer also sued competitor Vertical Aerospace for patent infringement, raising concerns about the sector's path to commercialization.
Highlights
- Joby Aviation sued Archer Aviation last year for alleged trade secret theft involving core eVTOL technology.
- Archer Aviation counter-sued Joby, claiming Joby concealed undisclosed ties to Chinese companies to harm Archer's business.
- In February 2025, Archer Aviation filed a separate patent infringement lawsuit against Vertical Aerospace.
- Joby Aviation has conducted public flight demonstrations at New York's JFK Airport while pursuing FAA certification.
- Archer Aviation is actively seeking FAA type certification for its Midnight eVTOL aircraft amid ongoing litigation.
Joby Aviation conducting a public flight demonstration at New York's JFK Airport. Image credit: The Verge
The U.S. eVTOL (electric vertical take-off and landing) air taxi industry is weathering a bruising legal storm. Ongoing litigation between two of its leading players — Joby Aviation and Archer Aviation — is draining corporate resources and casting a shadow over what was once one of aviation's most hotly anticipated emerging sectors.
How It Started
Last year, Joby Aviation and Archer Aviation filed lawsuits against each other, setting the stage for a protracted legal confrontation. Joby accused Archer of corporate espionage, alleging that Archer had attempted to steal its core proprietary technology. Archer, in turn, counter-claimed that Joby had deliberately concealed its ties to Chinese companies in an effort to damage Archer's reputation and business interests.
The conflict did not stop there. In February of this year, Archer escalated the industry's legal tensions further by filing a patent infringement lawsuit against fellow eVTOL competitor Vertical Aerospace, signaling that litigation has now spread beyond the original two parties.
Industry Outlook
The eVTOL air taxi sector has attracted substantial investment in recent years, with leading companies racing to secure FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) type certification and be the first to launch commercial operations. However, the relentless wave of lawsuits is not only draining companies' financial and human resources — it also risks diverting focus from R&D and further slowing an already deliberate certification process.
Analysts note that intellectual property disputes are difficult to avoid in fast-moving, capital-intensive industries where technologies heavily overlap. For eVTOL companies that are still in a cash-burning phase with no commercial revenue in sight, protracted courtroom battles represent an additional and costly burden.
Both Joby Aviation and Archer Aviation continue to advance their respective commercialization programs. Joby has already conducted public flight demonstrations at New York's JFK Airport, while Archer is actively pursuing certification of its Midnight aircraft. When — or whether — the legal battles will be resolved remains an open question.
Originally reported by The Verge; edited and compiled by the Drone News editorial team.
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