The multinational company said has filed the case in partnership with Star Refrigeration regarding a number of ozone-depleting refrigerants – including R-422D.
This is the second time DuPont and Star have been forced to make such a move. Earlier this year, they announced they had taken successful action against an Italian firm after accusing it of patent infringement of the same product.
Evidence
UK-based Star is the owner of the refrigerant patent in Spain. DuPont is the sole licensee of Star Refrigeration for these patents, marketed as ISCEON, which are mainly used to retrofit and service commercial refrigeration and building air conditioning equipment.
“DuPont and Star Refrigeration have secured evidence that we believe will support their allegation of patent infringement regarding certain retrofit refrigerants put on the market in Spain,” said Greg Rubin, global business manager for DuPont Refrigerants. “We are pursuing strong action to stop any infringement of our intellectual property in the Spanish market. Enforcement of refrigerant IP rights provides customers the assurance of continued access to safe, high quality and lawfully sourced refrigerants from reliable and reputable suppliers.”
He added the company was committed to protecting intellectual property for its refrigerants.
“The protection of intellectual property is critical to ensuring our continued investment in new technologies and products for the cooling marketplace,” said Rubin.