DSM Dyneema Files Another Patent Infringement Case
DSM Dyneema, the Urmond, Netherlands-based inventor and manufacturer of Dyneema®, a synthetic fiber known for its cut resistance, announced yesterday that it has started proceedings in a patent infringement lawsuit before the Court of Milan against Beijing Tongyizhong Specialty Fiber Technology & Development Co. Ltd., a subsidiary of Sinotex, (also known as Zhong Fang), a Chinese manufacturer of high-modulus polyethylene (HMPE) fiber, and EOS 3 S.r.l., an Italy-based distributor.
DSM said the lawsuit is the latest in a series of actions the company has pursued to protect its intellectual property rights and reflects the company's zero-tolerance policy on patent infringement.
"We remain highly vigilant in identifying any moves that may threaten our IP," said DSM President Christophe Dardel. "We are committed in our pursuit to vigorously defend our IP rights in all markets and business segments in which we are active. "Our intellectual property strategy enables DSM Dyneema to rapidly drive innovation and to maintain a course far ahead of the competition. This delivers value not only to DSM Dyneema, but also to our business partners who benefit from our extensive patent portfolio."
DSM said its continuously expanding patent portfolio consists of more than 100 inventions protected by more than 500 filed patents and patent applications worldwide. It added that this latest lawsuit follows similar patent infringement proceedings in 2004 in The Hague, Netherlands; in 2006 in Paris; and in 2008 in Texas, all of which resulted in court rulings forbidding the sale of infringing products in their respective countries or regions.
The patent infringement court case announced Monday refers to patent EP 1 126 052. Beijing Tongyizhong and EOS 3 are allowed to file their defense, DSM noted.