VMI acts against patent infringements in China

Epe, The Netherlands – Dutch tire machinery company VMI has said that it has taken “enforcement actions” against new incidents of “blatant infringement” of its model protection and patents. According to the company the infringements are mainly carried out in China.

“VMI will take all steps necessary to make these offenders face the legal consequences of their illegal acts,” the company said in a statement on 9 Feb.

"Many of the VMI innovations are protected by patents worldwide and when these are infringed upon, VMI’s strategy is to bring offenders to court to have them face legal consequences,” the company added.

Intellectual property theft would not only damages its commercial interests, but also could have a strong impact on the industry, VMI added.

“Inferior products that are sold may result in manufacturing downtime or otherwise damage the interest of customers,” said CEO Harm Voortman.

In August 2014, Chinese law enforcement officials raided on the premises of Shangjun Plastic and Rubber, which VMI Group accused of making tire-building drums that infringe on its patents.

VMI reported in April 2015 that it had won the case against the Chinese company following the raid and investigations.