German Courts Back Brother In Ink Cartridge Dispute

A court in Dusseldorf has backed Brother in a patent dispute in Germany

German courts in Dusseldorf have issued preliminary injunctions against two local ink cartridge manufacturers in a dispute of patents with global printer and ink cartridge producer Brother.

The injunctions prohibit Pelikan Vertriebsgesellschaft mbH & Company and German Hardcopy AG from selling specific ink cartridges which Brother has accused of infringing on its intellectually property (IP) rights.

A representative of the global firm said: "Since July 2008, Brother has been selling ink cartridges model references LC 980 and LC1100 in Germany. Brother has found that Pelikan and Geha were marketing ink cartridges which were compatible to LC 980 and LC 1100, which Brother believes were infringing its two IP rights.

"The Brother Group of companies is committed to creating circumstances where our customers can use Brother products with a sense of security. We will continue to vigorously publicize and promote the use of Brother's genuine consumables, in order to ensure the optimum performance of all Brother products."

In December last year, the firms were involved in a similar IP rights infringement suit after Brother accused the smaller ink cartridge manufacturers on infringing on patents concerning cartridge model references.

By Elaine Richards

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Brother LC1100 Compatible Double Ink Set With A Free Black Cartridge - 9 Cartridges In Total Inc VAT & Delivery Cost Per Item: 1   £24.99 2+   £23.99	Brother LC1100 Compatible Complete 4 Pack Inc VAT & Delivery Cost Per Item: 1   £12.49 2+   £11.99	Brother LC1100 Compatible Colour Only 3 Pack - No Black Inc VAT & Delivery Cost Per Item: 1   £8.99 2+   £8.49
Brother LC1100 Compatible Black Ink Cartridge Inc VAT & Delivery Cost Per Item: 1   £3.49 2+   £2.99	Brother LC1100 Compatible Cyan Ink Cartridge Inc VAT & Delivery Cost Per Item: 1   £3.49 2+   £2.99	Brother LC1100 Compatible Magenta Ink Cartridge Inc VAT & Delivery Cost Per Item: 1   £3.49 2+   £2.99