Calgon Carbon Corporation has announced that the Dutch patent court (the court) in The Hague has ruled in its favor in a patent-infringement lawsuit against Royal Pannevis B.V. (Pannevis) and Torus Liquid Separation B.V (Torus) for the supply of ion exchange and chromatographic separation equipment.
The court ruled that Calgon Carbon's patent for its ISEP® and CSEP® systems is valid and is infringed by the SepTor equipment produced by Pannevis and Torus. The decision restricts Pannevis and Torus from producing and selling their equipment throughout most of Europe. In addition, the court's cross-border injunction prevents Pannevis and Torus from producing, selling, or delivering any SEPTOR equipment from its Dutch headquarters, even if the equipment is produced to be exported out of Europe.
Commenting on the announcement, Jim Cederna, Calgon Carbon's chairman and chief executive officer, said, "We are extremely pleased with the Dutch court's decision. It not only verifies that the patent for our ISEP and CSEP systems is valid, but also demonstrates that we can successfully defend our patents in the international courts."
Cederna continued, "The court's decision is significant to our business because it confirms Calgon Carbon as the exclusive supplier of these valuable specialty systems in ion exchange and chromatographic separations for the food, pharmaceutical, metallurgical, water treatment, and biotechnology markets. It also positions us to pursue damages for several million dollars of SepTor systems that were sold."
Calgon Carbon Corporation, based in Pittsburgh, Pa., offers services and solutions for making air and water cleaner and safer. The company employs approximately 1,000 people at 13 operating facilities and 11 sales and service centers worldwide.
Source: Calgon Carbon Corp.