Judge finds violations of P&S Legrand GFCI patent rights
March 21, 2009
March 21, 2009
Pass & Seymour/Legrand (P&S) announced that the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) issued a final decision, finding that a number of China-based manufacturers of ground fault circuit interrupters (GFCIs) and their American distributors have violated P&S’s patent rights.
Pass & Seymour/Legrand (P&S) announced that the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) issued a final decision, finding that a number of China-based manufacturers of ground fault circuit interrupters (GFCIs) and their American distributors have violated P&S’s patent rights.
The
ITC affirmed an earlier decision by Administrative Law Judge Carl C.
Charneski finding P&S’s patents valid and enforceable. The ITC also
found that GFCIs manufactured by General Protecht Group, Shanghai ELE
Manufacturing, Shanghai Meihao Electric and Wenzhou Trimone Science and
Technology Electric infringed P&S’s patents.
In addition, the ITC issued exclusion orders precluding importation of infringing GFCIs made by General Protecht Group, Shanghai ELE Manufacturing, Shanghai Meihao Electric and Wenzhou Trimone Science and Technology Electric, and cease and desist orders precluding U.S. distributors Cheetah USA Corp. (Sandy, Utah), Colacino Electric Supply Inc. (Newark, N.Y.), The Designer’s Edge Inc. (Bellevue, Wash.), Nicor Inc. (Albuquerque, N.M.) and Orbit Industries Inc. (Los Angeles, Calif.) from selling infringing GFCIs in the United States.
“Today’s decision will enable P&S to fend off unfair competition, maintain market share and preserve high-end R&D jobs and the innovation those workers create, in a product category the company created almost 40 years ago,” said Pat Davin, vice-president and general manager of Pass & Seymour/Legrand, adding, “These orders will ensure that our patents and quality products maintain their rightful presence in the marketplace.”
P&S intends to work with U.S. Customs to enforce the exclusion orders to preclude the importation of infringing GFCIs. The company also intends to vigorously enforce the cease and desist orders against the distributors named in the investigation and contact other distributors to cease sales of infringing GFCIs. P&S has a related suit pending in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of New York, seeking damages.
In addition, the ITC issued exclusion orders precluding importation of infringing GFCIs made by General Protecht Group, Shanghai ELE Manufacturing, Shanghai Meihao Electric and Wenzhou Trimone Science and Technology Electric, and cease and desist orders precluding U.S. distributors Cheetah USA Corp. (Sandy, Utah), Colacino Electric Supply Inc. (Newark, N.Y.), The Designer’s Edge Inc. (Bellevue, Wash.), Nicor Inc. (Albuquerque, N.M.) and Orbit Industries Inc. (Los Angeles, Calif.) from selling infringing GFCIs in the United States.
“Today’s decision will enable P&S to fend off unfair competition, maintain market share and preserve high-end R&D jobs and the innovation those workers create, in a product category the company created almost 40 years ago,” said Pat Davin, vice-president and general manager of Pass & Seymour/Legrand, adding, “These orders will ensure that our patents and quality products maintain their rightful presence in the marketplace.”
P&S intends to work with U.S. Customs to enforce the exclusion orders to preclude the importation of infringing GFCIs. The company also intends to vigorously enforce the cease and desist orders against the distributors named in the investigation and contact other distributors to cease sales of infringing GFCIs. P&S has a related suit pending in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of New York, seeking damages.
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