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ZHENGZHOU RUIXIN Represents Zhengzhou Research Institute of Mechanical Engineering Co., Ltd. in Patent Infringement Dispute

ZHENGZHOU RUIXIN Represents Zhengzhou Research Institute of Mechanical Engineering Co., Ltd. in Patent Infringement Dispute

  • Time of issue:2017-03-02 10:00
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  Background:

  Haier, the world’s leading brand of major household appliance, received a letter from a US company-LKS in April 2014, informing that a new type of soldering & brazing material currently being used by Haier was suspected to have infringed on several of their patents. As the manufacturer and supplier of this soldering & brazing material, Zhengzhou Research Institute of Mechanical Engineering Co., Ltd. (hereafter referred to as ZZRIME) was unqualified to bid for Haier’s supplier certification in 2015 due to the undecided legal risk of infringement. To settle the dispute over patents and maintain long-term cooperation with Haier Group, ZZRIME instructed ZHENGZHOU RUIXIN INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY AGENCY CO., LTD. (hereafter referred to as RUIXIN) to conduct investigations and review.

  Process:

  After receiving client’s request, General Manager Mr. Chen Hao of ZHENGZHOU RUIXIN selected the professional agents related to have a thorough search through the global database, focusing on the hundreds of patents and published documents of the US LKS company and its subsidiary in China, selected and compared the related patents and applications with the technical solutions and the scope of protection of patents of ZZRIME, and come to the analysis and review report with the conclusion that the new type of soldering & brazing material produced by ZZRIME did not infringe on patents of LKS. After the negotiation and debating with the Chinese subsidiary of LKS Company, the LKS finally withdrew the accusation.

  Result:

  After resolving the infringement dispute, Zhengzhou Research Institute of Mechanical Engineering Co., Ltd. won the bid again for Haier’s supplier certification in 2015 and drew the attention of several new purchasers including Qingdao Hisense and Hefei Meiling who established partnership with ZZRIME.

  Significance:

  While foreign companies are paying more attention on the Chinese market, how to effectively cope with the international infringement dispute has become a key issue for Chinese companies and enterprises. Apart from the design of patent strategy, comprehensive search, review and analysis of relevant patents and publications are also very important.

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