Germany:Canon wins inkjet patent battle
Canon
has won a legal dispute against inkjet cartridge supplier Pelikan
Hardcopy, which had challenged the validity of a Canon patent in
Germany.Pelikan Hardcopy Deutschland Gmbh had disputed the validity of
Canon’s patent No: 0 635 373 – challenging an earlier legal ruling that
the European patent, held by Canon, is valid in Germany.
However,
Germany’s Federal Court of Justice rejected Pelikan’s appeal.In a
statement following the decision Canon said: ‘Canon will continue to
take a firm stand against activities that infringe upon the patent and
will pursue all legal means available to actively protect the company’s
intellectual property.’
Pelikan Hardcopy was yet to issue a comment at the time of writing.
However,
in a statement issued last year on the inkjet cartridges affected, the
firm said: ‘The Pelikan Hardcopy Group withdrew these products from the
market three years ago and has neither sold nor distributed them
since.’It is basic company policy not to market products before checks
have been run to ensure they comply with mandatory requirements for
patents. In the event that a product runs the risk of infringing patent
protection, it is amended or changed. Hence, Pelikan Hardcopy continues
to ensure that the products it sells and distributes do not infringe
patent protection.’