MOSCOW (MRC) -- Solvay has announces that it has won two rare earth mixed oxides patent cases against China-based HySci (Tianjin) Specialty Materials Co., Ltd., as per Reuters.
Solvay was awarded 5.6 million RMB (EUR0.67 million) in damages and HySci was ordered to immediately stop the production and the sale of certain rare earth mixed oxides used in automotive catalysts.
The court of first instance, the Tianjin High Court, ruled on December 11th, 2013 that HySci's production and sale of certain rare earths mixed oxides infringed Solvay's patents, starting in 2004.The Court ordered HySci to immediately discontinue the production and sale of 7 mixed oxides grades that were found to be infringing Solvay patents. In addition, the Court awarded Solvay 5.6 million RMB in damages. That amount is based on the profits that HySci made from the 189 tonnes of mixed oxides it unlawfully sold from 2004 onwards. The Court also ordered HySci to cover most of Solvay's legal expenses.
Separately and in a final decision, the Beijing High Court ruled in favor of Solvay by confirming the validity of its patent number ZL96196505.3. The case had been brought by HySci which claimed that the patent was invalid. The Court's ruling confirms the earlier decision by China's State Intellectual Property Office (SIPO) to reject HySci's patent invalidation request.
As MRC reported earlier, in 2012, Solvay Specialty Polymers and Rhodia Engineering Plastics launched a new EUR 21 million compounding plant in Changshu, Jiangsu province. It will serve the Chinese markets for electrical and electronics, wire and cable, automotive, consumer, and industrial applications.
In addition, Solvay is building a new EUR 120 million production plant for fluorinated polymers at its industrial site in Changshu, to meet growing demand in Asia in end-use markets such as automotive, photovoltaic, Li ion batteries, membranes for water purification, and oil and gas applications. The new plant is scheduled to be operational early 2014.
Solvay is an international chemicals and plastics company. In 2011, Solvay acquired Rhodia for approximately EUR 3.4 billion. Rhodia is one of the three sectors of activities of Solvay. Rhodia is a world leader in the development and production of specialty chemicals, and partner of major players in the automotive, electronics, flavors and fragrances, health, personal and home care markets, consumer goods and industrial markets.
MRC