Waregem, Belgium—A jury in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas ruled in favor of Unilin in a patent case against Vilox and one of Vilox’s licensees.
The March 3 decision found that products sold under a Vilox license infringed four Unilin U.S. patents. The jury also determined that Vilox willfully infringed the patents.
Because of the willful infringement ruling, the court will now determine whether additional damages should be imposed. The court could award up to three times the compensation for infringement. Both parties have the right to appeal the decision to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit.
“This is an important decision for Unilin, its licensed partners and for all companies that respect intellectual property rights,” said Bart Van der Stockt, president of Unilin’s IP business. “Unilin invests heavily in the development of innovative technologies that move the flooring industry forward. We remain committed to protecting our R&D investments and supporting a fair and competitive market.”
Unilin Technologies is known for its licensing model for flooring innovations. The company developed widely used locking systems including Uniclic, Unidrop and Unipush.
The company holds nearly 4,500 patents across more than 550 patent families. In addition to technology development, Unilin provides technical services to licensees and supports collaboration across the flooring industry.