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Invista resolves IP dispute for its PTA technology

Invista has resolved an intellectual property arbitration against a Chinese company for misuse of the company’s purified terephthalic acid technology.

24th June 2016

Innovation in Textiles
 |  Shanghai

Sports/​Outdoor, Clothing/​Footwear

“The resolution is encouraging because protecting our intellectual property is not just about us; it’s about protecting our customers’ investments and allowing them to maintain their competitive advantage,” said Mike Pickens, president, Invista Performance Technologies.

“We have many clients in China, other parts of Asia, and the rest of the world who rely on intellectual property protection laws and the effectiveness of their local governments to enforce them.”

Intellectual property protection

The company says it has a track record of successfully resolving infringement cases in a number of jurisdictions and venues, including the China International Economic Trade Arbitration Commission, the Supreme People’s Court of China, the Singapore International Arbitration Center, the Beijing Intermediate People’s Court, and the High Court of Hong Kong, as well as in US state and federal courts.

“We are glad to see that our intellectual property protection initiatives in China align well with the government’s increased enforcement of these rights. This allows INVISTA to confidently continue developing and licensing leading-edge technology in China,” said Pickens.

New technology

The company aims to pursue its intellectual property protection strategy with regard to the newly introduced P8 technology – a new PTA platform that is said to help drive customers’ variable and capital costs even lower.

“We will take similar steps to protect this latest generation of technology, using legal actions as necessary to ensure protection of our intellectual property and the value it brings to our customers, everywhere in the world,” Pickens said.

Other cases

There were four other cases that Invista has resolved in the past five years. In 2011, Invista resolved a case involving a competing Chinese licensor and use of Invista's proprietary butanediol technology. Two years later, the Singapore International Arbitration Center ruled in favour of Invista on a case involving misappropriation of PTA technology trade secrets and breach of the confidentiality agreement.

Later, in 2014, a Hong Kong court ruled in favour of Invista and prohibited a competing Chinese licensor from using the company’s trade secrets around its butanediol technology. The same year, Invista resolved another lawsuit involving a Chinese engineer who admitted to infringing Invista’s PTA technology.

“By the same token, Invista goes to great lengths to ensure that we are not inadvertently infringing the IP rights of others,” said Pickens. “And to further protect our investment, we continue to add to Invista’s patent portfolio that covers the PTA technology we are licensing.”

Invista Performance Technologies

Invista Performance Technologies (IPT) is the technology licensing group within Invista. IPT provides the resources and know-how to deliver world-scale technology for licensing to a growing portfolio of technologies in the value chains of polyester (PTA, polymer, fibre, R2R), polyurethane (BDO, PTMEG) and nylon (N2O abatement).

With leading brands including Lycra, Coolmax, Cordura, Stainmaster and Antron, Invista is a leading integrated producer of chemical intermediates, polymers and fibres. The company’s advantaged technologies for nylon, spandex and polyester are used to produce clothing, carpet, car parts and countless other everyday products.

www.invista.com

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