Patent disputes in the US and European Union

Though Shenzhen-based building materials company Yekalon Industry Inc has prevailed in a patent dispute after spending more than 10 million yuan on costs, it still faces litigation from its foreign rivals.

The latest suit was filed in Germany last year by Unilin, a subsidiary of the US-listed Mohawk located in Belgium, charging Yekelon with patent infringement at a world fair.

The case centers around a glueless locking technology for laminate and wood flooring. Unilin has owned patents since 1996 for the method and shared the market with another European company Valinge.

Yekalon invented a new locking method in 2006 that connects flooring by vertically tapping in planks instead of the established technique of angling and snapping horizontally, according to He Yixin, chairman of Yekalon.

He is determined to defend the company's product, insisting "our locking technology is completely self-developed".

"It works differently than those of Unilin," he said. "Yekalon has applied for international patents for the invention under the Patent Cooperation Treaty and will soon complete the process."

It is the second big clash between Yekalon and Unilin. 
                                                                                                    Source: China Daily