Puritan Further Vindicated as Copan Loses Again in German Patent Proceedings
Puritan is pleased to announce that the German Patent and Trademark Office (GPTO) has handed Puritan and its customers a win in cancellation proceedings initiated on Puritan’s behalf against Copan’s utility model DE 20 2004 021 932 U1 (DE’932).
Guilford, ME (PRWEB) October 21, 2015
Puritan is pleased to announce that the German Patent and Trademark Office (GPTO) has handed Puritan and its customers a win in cancellation proceedings initiated on Puritan’s behalf against Copan’s utility model DE 20 2004 021 932 U1 (DE’932). Specifically, in DE File No. 20 2004 021 932.8, the GPTO has declared DE’932 invalid for its entire term, effectively erasing the patent as if it never existed. This means Copan may not base any claims on any alleged infringement of DE’932.
According to GPTO documents, Copan also has to bear the costs of the cancellation proceedings. Under German law, Copan has the right to appeal the decision.
This is yet another decisive setback for Copan. Last year, the District Court in Düsseldorf decided that Puritan’s HydraFlock® and PurFlock Ultra® swabs do not infringe another Copan utility model, DE 20 2004 021 930 U1. According to DE’930, its claims are limited to fibers having a linear mass density in a specified range. According to court documents, the Düsseldorf Court unambiguously held that the fibers in Puritan’s HydraFlock® and PurFlock Ultra® swabs do not meet this limitation. The case is currently under appeal before the Court of Appeals in Düsseldorf (docket number I-2 U 46/14).
In any event, as conformed by GPTO official records, all of Copan’s German utility models relating to flocked swabs expired by the end of March 2014. Thus, under German law, Copan cannot seek to enjoin any sales based on these utility models or damages for any sales after that date. The effect of the decisions above under German law is that Copan also cannot seek damages even for sales before March 2014 based on DE’930 or DE’932 once the decisions become final.
This latest decision further reinforces that Puritan and Puritan’s customers are free to sell Puritan’s HydraFlock® and PurFlock Ultra® flocked swabs in Europe without interference from Copan’s European patent or expired utility models.
About Puritan
Puritan Medical Products Co., LLC, is an American company known worldwide as the trusted manufacturer of single-use products for the healthcare, diagnostic, forensic, critical environment, food safety, and drug manufacturing industries. Puritan manufactures all of its flocked swab products in their Guilford, ME, U.S. facility.
For More Information Contact
Timothy Templet
Executive VP of Global Sales
tltemplet(at)puritanmedproducts(dot)com
+1.207.876.3311
For the original version on PRWeb visit: http://www.prweb.com/releases/2015/10/prweb13030323.htm
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