Hamont, Belgium—Following its 2019 settlement agreement with Flooring Industries (Unilin), I4F said it has the right to ensure that its licensees will not be subject to currently pending ITC proceedings in the United States, nor the consequences of ITC decisions, which now seem to aim towards a General Exclusion Order (GEO) for certain Unilin patents in relation to new materials products.
I4F entered into a confidential settlement agreement with Unilin in November 2019. Through this agreement, I4F said it has ensured that its licensees have the possibility to sign up for a scope of protection that safeguards them against future risks of a GEO implementation when producing and selling new materials products with I4F’s locking technologies.
The scope for the settlement agreement covers “New Materials Products” with locking. This means floor coverings using a locking, on both the long and/or short sides with or without a bevel featuring a thermoplastic-based or mineral‑based core. These floor coverings are also known as luxury vinyl tile (LVT), polyvinyl chloride (PVC), multi-layer flooring (MLF), waterproof polymer core (WPC), solid polymer composite (SPC), expanded polymer core (EPC), magnesium oxide (MgO), polypropylene (PP) or polyurethane (PU).
Previously, on-going litigation between the parties had caused legal uncertainty, costs and commercial risks in the global flooring market. To end these detrimental effects on innovation, investment and competition, the parties agreed to settle their disputes and subsequently withdrew from pending legal proceedings in the U.S. and Europe.
I4F provides licensees with IP expertise, meaningful patents and cutting-edge technologies as well as access to some of the global flooring industry’s best innovations, including 3L TripleLock and Click4U.
The company continues to safeguard its patents and technologies around the world, and said it remains committed to supporting its licensees by enabling business to move forward with a focus on innovation.