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Re-activateLast summer, a jury in federal district court in Salt Lake City awarded $11 million in damages to K-Tec, maker of the Blendtec Total Blender, in a patent-infringement case against Vita-Mix Corporation, manufacturer of Vita-Mix blenders.
The case centered on a five-sided container invented by K-Tec's chief executive Tom Dickson (he of Will It Blend? YouTube fame). According to the court, Vita-Mix copied the design too closely for its XP container, which Vita-Mix stopped manufacturing last summer. Rather than accept the verdict, Vita-Mix chose to file motions asking the court to reverse its decision and cancel the penalties, or at least grant a new trial. That strategy backfired when U.S. District Judge Tena Campbell of Utah's Central Division agreed with the original ruling and increased Vita-Mix's penalty by another $11 million, plus nearly $2 million in prejudgement interest.
In the court of Consumer Reports test labs, the Vita-Mix 5200 still beats out the Blendtec Total Blender TB-621-20 in our blender ratings, thanks to its superior mixing of icy drinks and quieter motor operation. But both blenders cost quite a bit more than other highly-rated models.
—Daniel DiClerico
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