After four years of difficult legal battle, Wenzhou Huarun Electrical Machinery Co.,Ltd (hereinafter referred to as ACHR) from China eventually prevailed in a patent-infringement case brought by TI Automotive Fuel Systems SAS(hereinafter called TI SAS ). On April 10, the Court (Tribunal de Grande Instance de Paris) in Pairs made the first instance judgment in favor of ACHR, ruling that no infringement of the TI SAS patent has been found and no unfair competition is constituted.
The case was brought by TI SAS, the world's leading supplier of fluid storage, transfer and delivery system after they found the displayed products from China at the Equip Auto Show 2005. They alleged that ACHR, the exhibitor, has infringed its French patent 8602420. The alleged sample products and brochures were seized. TI SAS sought for orders to stop ACHR from manufacturing and sale of the alleged products in France and pay a damage of 430,000 EURO including attorney fees.
The court held 5 informal hearings from 2007 to 2008 during which ACHR requested for invalidation of TI SAS’s patent for lack of novelty and obviousness. .On March 6, 2009, the Court had the final trial and made the decision in favor of ACHR. The court rules that ACHR did not infringe TI SAS’s patent FR860240, the patent was declared invalid, no unfair competition was found, ACHR should not pay attorney fees and court fees, TI SAS should pay ACHR 8,000 EURO attorney fees.
