VMI

VMI wins patent infringement lawsuit against Chinese copycat

A huge victory in VMI’s fight against patent infringement! The Chinese Intellectual Property Court supported VMI on all claims and awarded the full compensation requested by VMI to be paid by Shuangjun Plastic and Rubber Machinery Ltd. Already in 2015, the Chinese Patent Management Bureau ruled that Shuangjun was guilty of patent infringement against VMI’s patent for its tire building drum.

VMI, based in The Netherlands, is a market leader in complex production machinery for the rubber and tire industry. VMI's proprietary tire building technologies are protected by hundreds of patents in strategically chosen countries around the world, including China.

VMI discovered that Shuangjun, a Chinese competitor, offered a tire building drum for sale that infringed on at least one of its Chinese patents. VMI obtained one of the drums as evidence and filed a complaint at the Chinese authorities, which resulted in a raid at the facilities of Shuangjun. VMI initiated a civil action against Shuangjun, yet they continued to sell the drums in question. Shuangjun tried to invalidate the Chinese patent, but to no avail.

VMI has now been awarded punitive damages in the civil action against Shuangjun. This ruling constitutes an enormous triumph in VMI’s fight against patent infringement. In a press release of June 30, 2016, VMI says that the victory "confirms our faith in the Chinese judicial system and strengthens us to continue to identify all significant patent infringements and respond rapidly and vigorously in every such case."

Vriesendorp & Gaade assists VMI in the filing, prosecution, defense and enforcements of their patents. Do you want to know more about patent protection in China? Please feel free to contact one or our patent attorneys for more information.