America's Cup: North Sails Sues Team New Zealand Over Sail Patent

North Sails has filed a lawsuit in the United States against Emirates Team New Zealand, Defender of the America's Cup. North says it should have been named as a co-inventor on a patent the team holds for a mainsail luff design, and asks for the inventorship to be corrected. Team New Zealand says it has been given no choice but to defend a valid patent and has asked for the case to be dismissed.

What the dispute is about

The patent covers a feature of how the mainsail's leading edge (the luff) is built on the AC75. North Sails, a long-standing America's Cup supplier, argues its work contributed to the invention. If North wins, control of a key piece of AC75-era sail technology could change hands. If the patent stands and is enforceable, challengers may need licences or design changes to avoid infringing it.

Where the 38th America's Cup stands

The event moves to Naples, Italy, after Barcelona declined to host again. The Protocol was agreed between the Defender and Challenger of Record, Britain's Athena Racing, in August 2025, and late entries closed on 31 March 2026. Announced teams include Luna Rossa (Italy), Tudor Team Alinghi (Switzerland), La Roche-Posay Racing Team (France) and entries from the USA and Australia, alongside the Defender and Athena Racing.

Reporting on the case so far does not name the court or the patent number. We'll update this post when the court rules on Team New Zealand's motion to dismiss.

What is the America's Cup?

The America's Cup is the oldest trophy in international sport, first won by the schooner America off the Isle of Wight in 1851. It is a challenge match: the holder (the Defender) sets the rules with the first challenger (the Challenger of Record), challengers race each other for the right to meet the Defender, and the winner of the Match takes the Cup. Emirates Team New Zealand has won the last three editions.

What is an AC75?

The AC75 is a 75-foot foiling monohull. Instead of a fixed keel, it has two swinging foil arms that lift the hull clear of the water, letting it sail several times faster than the wind. Its soft double-skin mainsail, wrapped around the mast, is where the luff design at the heart of this dispute sits. Sail design is one of the few areas where teams can still find a real speed edge.

Patents, sailmakers and the America's Cup

Technology from the America's Cup often moves into everyday sailing, from sail materials to winches and electronics. That's why sail patents matter beyond Naples: who owns an idea can decide who may sell it to other teams and, later, to ordinary sailors. A patent's inventorship (who is named as inventor) affects who controls it.

Key facts

• Claimant: North Sails
• Defendant: Emirates Team New Zealand, Defender of the America's Cup
• Issue: inventorship of a patent on an AC75 mainsail luff design
• Venue for the 38th America's Cup: Naples, Italy
• Challenger of Record: Athena Racing (GBR)

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