US Celanese accuses importer of patent violation
17 September 2007 23:35 [Source: ICIS news]
HOUSTON (ICIS news)--A US district judge on Monday scheduled a pretrial hearing for 1 November after US acetic-acid producer Celanese filed suit against US product distributor Oxyde Chemicals for alleged patent violations.
Celanese accuses Oxyde of importing acetic acid from a Chinese manufacturer, Jiangsu Sopo, made by using Celanese's patented process. The suit seeks unspecified damages from the distributor.
Celanese spokesman Jeremy Neuhart declined to comment on the lawsuit, citing the confidentiality of ongoing litigation, but said that "Celanese takes the protection of its intellectual property very seriously, and we will vigorously defend our patents if necessary".
Oxyde was contacted on Monday, but officials were not available for comment. The distributor is based in Houston, Texas.
The suit contends under US law that Oxyde is liable, since it bought a product that infringes on Celanese's patent, which the distributor intended to sell. Oxyde is importing 4,000 tonnes of the acid, due to arrive in the port of Houston by 10 October, the suit says.Celanese sent Oxyde a letter dated 14 September, warning the distributor that the acetic acid was made using the company's patented process, the suit says.
(David Barry contributed to this article)By: Al Greenwood
+1 713 525 2645
For the latest chemical news, data and analysis that directly impacts your business sign up for a free trial to ICIS news - the breaking online news service for the global chemical industry.
Get the facts and analysis behind the headlines from our market leading weekly magazine: sign up to a free trial to ICIS Chemical Business.
| ICIS news FREE TRIAL |
| Get access to breaking chemical news as it happens. |
| ICIS Global Petrochemical Index (IPEX) |
| ICIS Global Petrochemical Index (IPEX). Download the free tabular data and a chart of the historical index |
Related Articles
- 17 Apr 09 14:04 Bayer CropScience defends patent rights in China
- 04 Apr 08 19:35 US Celanese loses patent suit against broker
- 25 Feb 08 15:09 Adiutor and Oxyde enter global glycols tie-up
- 18 Dec 07 22:59 New M&A seen positive for Celanese US Holdings
- 15 Aug 07 23:58 Albemarle files patent suit against German firm
- 01 Aug 07 18:35 DuPont settles patent infringement case in China
- 20 Jun 07 17:18 DuPont defends refrigerant patents
- 10 Apr 07 14:23 Tate & Lyle files sucralose patent case with ITC
Latest News
- 20 May 13 03:29 Muntajat to leverage on the QAPCO, Qatofin structures
- 20 May 13 03:20 MPC restarts Saudi ammonia plant and DAP unit after maintenance
- 18 May 13 00:01 Indiana pulls nitrogen plant funding over fears about explosives
- 17 May 13 23:59 Europe May EO contracts fall in line with ethylene decrease
- 17 May 13 23:59 Europe May DMT reference prices roll over in line with feedstocks