Waregem, Belgium—Unilin Technologies, Barberan and Zeetree said they reached an agreement with different parties to open up its broad patent portfolio for direct to board digital printing and texturing. The agreement creates enhanced freedom to operate and legal certainty for those interested in digital printing and texturing for decorative panels.
Unilin already announced its partnership with Barberan and Zeetree for high-performance digital texturing solutions in 2021. Through the most recent agreements, Unilin is now able to offer expanded patent protection that includes not only the main Unilin patents in the area of digital structuring, but also additional relevant patents from Barberan, Hymmen, Zeetree, Classen, Kronospan and i4F, according to the company.
The agreement also puts an end to the legal battles between different technology providers and offers enhanced legal security to anyone desiring to step into digital printing and texturing of decorative panels.
“Today we have cleared up some legal hurdles that kept some companies from investing in digital printing,” said Sophie Demuenynck, legal director at Unilin Technologies. “After years of R&D for digital printing and texturing technologies, we are pleased that this agreement will bring new possibilities to the industry. We are happy to bring interested parties into contact with our partners Barberan and Zeetree that are offering state-of-the-art digital embossed textures and durability never seen before.”