Safe-Run hails ‘significant progress’ in VMI dispute

Safe-Run has announced that it has made “significant progress” in the patent invalidation and patent litigation process against VMI Holland B.V. Safe-Run explained that the Patent Reexamination Board of State Intellectual Property Office declared that the VMI’s invention patent “Assembly for and Method of Making a Tyre Component” is “entirely invalid”. According to the company, the patent declared invalid is deemed to have “not existed from the very beginning”. In addition, the court has dismissed VMI’s litigation action against Safe-Run for this patent infringement. For its part, VMI stated that it made progress in the same series of cases and that it would appeal a number of adverse verdicts.

Writing in a statement on the matter, Safe-Run said it “attaches great importance to independent research and development and intellectual property protection and respects patent rights of other companies.” The statement continued: “Considering this patent dispute as an opportunity, Safe-Run will continue to actively respond to challenges, put more emphasis on the strategy of intellectual property development, and devote great efforts to make positive contributions to the tyre industry.”