Gulliksson (represented by Partner Magnus Dahlman together with Associate Therese Grennard) and Ström & Gulliksson (represented by European Patent Attorney and Managing Partner Rikard Roos) have recently successfully represented the innovative Swedish relining equipment manufacturer Peanta Inventions AB in a patent infringement matter.
Peanta is a small company that has spent a lot of time and effort in renewing and innovating the uv-relining equipment industry by its modular and space efficient UV-light head. Peanta’s products have been very successful on the market especially because of its modular, easy to repair design and its ability to irradiate a liner in smaller pipe dimensions in spite of bends etc. Peanta therefore fittingly markets itself under the catch phrase “Brings light into a dark situation”.
Almost immediately upon launch of its product, Peanta came under attack from Danish giant corporation Per Aarsleff A/S. Aarsleff claimed that some elements of Peanta’s product infringed its patent rights and asked for a preliminary injunction. The Swedish Patent and Market court dismissed that request and the Patent and Market Court of Appeal even refused a review permit for Aarsleff. In December 2018, the Patent and Market court handed down its judgment on the merits and dismissed Aarsleff’s infringement claims (because of the fact that the claimed infringing elements lacked several features of the patent claims). Aarsleff appealed the case to the Patent and Market Court of Appeal on the merits and the court has now handed down its final (and not appealable judgment). The court found that the claimed infringing object (which was not the same as Peanta’s entire product) lacked features of the claim to the extent that the product could not even be said to be fit for the purpose related to in the preamble of the claim – relining a pipe. In addition to the court’s findings on the merits Peanta was awarded full compensation for its costs in both instances.
Gulliksson and Ström & Gulliksson are proud to have been able to have helped Peanta to bring light into a dark situation.
