The race to commercialize electric air taxis in the United States has moved beyond engineering, FAA certification and fundraising. Two of the industry’s biggest competitors, Joby Aviation and Archer Aviation, are now fighting each other in court over trade secrets, patents and allegedly misleading business practices.
The litigation has become particularly intense since late 2025. Joby accuses Archer of obtaining confidential information through a former employee, while Archer has countered with allegations against Joby and separately asked the U.S. International Trade Commission to block imports of certain Joby aircraft and components. Both companies are also defendants in new patent lawsuits filed by another aviation technology company.
Joby Aviation Sues Archer Over Alleged Trade Secrets
Joby Aero filed its lawsuit against Archer Aviation and former Joby employee George Kivork on November 18, 2025.
The dispute arose after Kivork left Joby and joined Archer.
Joby alleges that before leaving the company, Kivork improperly retained confidential files containing sensitive business and technical information. According to Joby’s allegations, the information included aircraft specifications, commercial strategy and terms involving potential business partners.
Joby accuses Archer of improperly acquiring or using its confidential information and asserts claims including trade-secret misappropriation, breach of contract and interference with contractual and prospective business relationships. It seeks damages, restitution, injunctive relief and legal costs.
Archer denies that it obtained or used Joby’s trade secrets.
The case is now pending in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California as Joby Aero, Inc. v. Archer Aviation Inc.
Court Allows Part of Joby’s Case to Continue
The first major court ruling arrived on June 5, 2026.
The federal court dismissed several portions of Joby’s complaint but did not eliminate the entire lawsuit. Certain claims involving Kivork and the alleged retention of Joby information were allowed to continue, while other claims were dismissed either permanently or with permission to amend.
Joby filed an amended complaint on June 22, 2026.
Archer and Kivork then filed new motions seeking dismissal of the amended allegations. According to Joby’s latest SEC filing, those motions were still being litigated during the summer of 2026.
Therefore, there has been no final finding that Archer stole Joby’s trade secrets.
Archer Files Counterclaims Against Joby
Archer did not limit its response to denying Joby’s claims.
In March 2026, Archer filed counterclaims accusing Joby of unfair competition and violations of the federal Lanham Act.
Archer has alleged that Joby made misleading representations about its business and its connections with China, including claims concerning Chinese-origin materials and the presentation of Joby as an American aerospace manufacturer. Joby has called Archer’s accusations baseless.
The court dismissed Archer’s original counterclaims in June but gave Archer permission to amend them.
Archer filed amended counterclaims on June 29, 2026. Joby moved to dismiss them on July 13. Archer’s latest SEC filing states that a hearing on Joby’s motion was scheduled for September 8, 2026.
Archer Asks ITC to Block Joby Aircraft Imports
The companies are also fighting a separate patent battle before the U.S. International Trade Commission.
On March 10, 2026, Archer filed a Section 337 complaint accusing Joby of infringing five Archer patents involving electric aircraft, aircraft power systems and related components.
Archer is seeking a limited exclusion order, which could prevent certain Joby products or components from being imported into the United States if Archer ultimately proves infringement.
The ITC formally opened Investigation No. 337-TA-1499 on April 9, 2026. Joby Aero and Joby Aviation are the named respondents.
Opening the investigation does not mean the ITC has found Joby liable.
Joby’s June 2026 filing states that an evidentiary hearing is expected in January 2027, with an initial determination scheduled for May 14, 2027 and the ITC’s final decision targeted for September 14, 2027.
The proceeding could become especially important because an exclusion order could affect Joby’s supply chain while it works toward commercial air-taxi operations.
Urban Aeronautics Sues Both Joby and Archer
Joby and Archer also face virtually parallel patent lawsuits from Israeli aviation company Urban Aeronautics Ltd.
Urban Aeronautics filed separate federal lawsuits against Joby and Archer on June 19, 2026 in California.
Both cases concern U.S. Patent No. 7,946,528, titled Flight Control System Especially Suited for VTOL Vehicles. The patent covers technology related to flight-control architecture for vertical-takeoff-and-landing aircraft.
Urban Aeronautics alleges that technology used by the air-taxi companies infringes its patent.
Its Joby lawsuit is Urban Aeronautics, Ltd. v. Joby Aviation, Inc. et al., Case No. 3:26-cv-06139.
Its Archer case is Urban Aeronautics, Ltd. v. Archer Aviation, Inc., Case No. 4:26-cv-06140.
Both cases remained at an early stage as of September 2026, with no determination of infringement.
Joby Also Faces Aerosonic Trade-Secret Litigation
Joby is separately defending a lawsuit brought by aviation equipment manufacturer Aerosonic LLC.
Aerosonic sued Joby in Florida in March 2025, alleging misappropriation of trade secrets involving aviation air-data technology and related equipment.
The federal court refused to dismiss Aerosonic’s amended complaint in August 2025, allowing the litigation to proceed.
The case became connected indirectly with Archer because Aerosonic had also conducted business with Archer. In February 2026, a federal judge allowed Archer to intervene for the limited purpose of seeking protection against disclosure of its confidential information during discovery.
Archer’s Earlier Wisk Trade-Secret Battle
Archer has faced similar intellectual-property litigation before.
Boeing-owned air-taxi company Wisk Aero sued Archer in 2021, alleging trade-secret theft and patent infringement connected with former Wisk employees who joined Archer.
After two years of litigation, Archer and Wisk reached a settlement in August 2023.
A later dispute developed over implementation of the settlement. In September 2024, a federal judge ruled that Archer had breached part of the agreement concerning stock provided to Wisk and ordered Archer to cure the problem through exercisable shares or payment.
Air Taxi Competition Is Becoming a Legal Battle
Joby and Archer are competing to become early leaders in commercial electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft, commonly known as eVTOLs. With certification, manufacturing contracts, airport access and intellectual property potentially worth billions of dollars, disputes over technology and confidential business information are becoming increasingly important.
As of September 2026, neither Joby nor Archer has obtained a decisive victory in their newest legal battle. The Joby-Archer trade-secret case, Archer’s ITC patent proceeding and the Urban Aeronautics lawsuits remain unresolved.
The outcomes could affect more than damages. Patent injunctions, exclusion orders or restrictions on the use of proprietary technology could influence how quickly either company is able to manufacture and commercially deploy its air taxis in the United States.
