PLUTA Attorney Willrodt Sells Lilium Patent Portfolio to U.S. Listed Company Archer Aviation

In the insolvency proceedings of electric aircraft pioneer Lilium, insolvency administrator Ivo-Meinert Willrodt of PLUTA Rechtsanwalts GmbH has sold the company’s patents and registered intellectual property rights. The buyer of the patent portfolio is Archer Aviation Inc., an U.S. publicly listed developer of electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft (eVTOL).

Ivo-Meinert Willrodt serves as insolvency administrator for Lilium GmbH and Lilium Aerospace GmbH, which entered self-administration proceedings in October 2024 and transitioned to regular insolvency proceedings in March 2025. Lilium GmbH owned the intellectual property rights. The creditors’ committees of both proceedings had previously voted unanimously to accept the investor’s offer. The purchase price is in the low to mid double-digit million euro range, and the legally binding purchase agreement is currently being implemented.

Founded in 2015, the air taxi start-up Lilium invested substantial sums over the past years in developing technologies for electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft. Archer Aviation is acquiring a portfolio of over 300 patents, including innovations in high-voltage systems, battery management, advanced aircraft design, flight controls, electric engines, propellers and ducted fans for eVTOL aircraft.

The sale to Archer offers the highest level of transaction and execution security. Therefore, the insolvency administrator, in coordination with the creditors’ committees, has signed the purchase agreement. Attorney Ivo-Meinert Willrodt of PLUTA said: “After lengthy negotiations in a complex transaction process, Archer prevailed in the bidding process.“ In the coming months, the administrator will continue the sale of Lilium’s remaining assets. Alongside insolvency administrator Willrodt, attorneys Mirko Möllen and Martin Jungclaus from the PLUTA team were responsible for drafting and structuring the purchase agreement. The insolvency administrator of the holding company Lilium N.V. is Wolfgang Bernhardt of PLUTA Rechtsanwalts GmbH.

The purchaser was advised in the transaction by Dr. Sven-Holger Undritz and Dr. Albrecht Schaefer of White & Case.