Lawsuits Mark Continuation in Epson’s Efforts to Defend Mental Property and Promote Truthful Competitors
LOS ALAMITOS, Calif. – Epson introduced immediately that Epson America, Inc., Epson Portland Inc. and Seiko Epson Corp. filed two patent infringement complaints on April 10 and 11, 2023 in opposition to Creek Manufacturing LLC and Service Watch Techniques, LLC, Planet Inexperienced Cartridges, Inc., and Picture Armor, LLC, I-Group Applied sciences LLC. The complaints allege infringement of claims from U.S. Patent No. 8,454,116. These patent claims had been adjudicated in well-publicized actions filed with the U.S. Worldwide Commerce Fee (“ITC”), leading to a Normal Exclusion Order barring the importation of all newly constructed and remanufactured cartridges that infringe the claims.
These two lawsuits underscore Epson’s persevering with enforcement efforts together with in opposition to infringing sellers of remanufactured massive format printer cartridges and client cartridges utilizing third-party infringing circuit boards. Epson’s concerted marketing campaign is targeted on defending Epson’s mental property and making certain that legit resellers can compete pretty for gross sales of provides for Epson printers.
Epson has a protracted historical past of vigorous authorized motion to guard the corporate, customers, and bonafide resellers from unfair competitors. These two latest lawsuits complement Epson’s earlier enforcement efforts, by in search of everlasting injunctions in opposition to additional infringements, in addition to financial damages, for intensive gross sales of patent infringing cartridges.
Epson’s enforcement program features a broad vary of efforts to handle patent and trademark infringement all through the distribution and gross sales channels, from acquiring Normal Exclusion Orders by means of the ITC, to raids and seizures of counterfeit product and common enforcement by means of on-line marketplaces corresponding to Alibaba, Amazon, and eBay.
“We’re inspired that Epson’s enforcement applications have resulted in elevated compliance on prime Web marketplaces and have considerably altered the panorama for infringing cartridge gross sales,” stated Jilana Miller, assistant common counsel, Epson America. “Nevertheless, we proceed to handle the persistent tradition of infringement and unfair competitors perpetrated on Web marketplaces and thru different channels. These latest complaints display Epson’s continued dedication to addressing infringement within the business and client markets, and the issue of remanufactured cartridges which infringe mental property rights and affect honest competitors.”
