Starlinger announces that it has initiated legal proceedings for patent infringement against Wenzhou Huazao Machinery Technology Co., Ltd., Wenzhou Zhengong Machinery Co., Ltd., and a customer of the two companies, Zhejiang Liying Packaging Co., Ltd. The case relates to the company’s ad*starKON bag conversion line to produce AD*STAR block bottom valve bags made of plastic fabric. Starlinger developed the triangle bottom forming mechanism that the machine uses, along with other elements, with the company holding corresponding patents in various countries including China.
Starlinger
Starlinger Ad Star sacks.
“As a strong, innovative technology leader in the field of woven plastic packaging we will not stand by and watch how others are using our ground-breaking inventions,” said Harald Neumüller, CSO of Starlinger. “Like every industry pioneer, we have a strong commitment to R&D and need to defend our rights and protect our innovations. We will continue to take legal action against copyists of our advanced technology as well as packaging producers who buy from them.”
The company first filed the patents for the AD*STAR block bottom valve bag and the corresponding production technology back in 1995. Throughout the last three decades, the bag and conversion line have been innovated with additional features. According to Starlinger, the solution is now considered, “one of the fastest, most efficient, and most reliable production lines for block bottom bags made of plastic fabric in the world.”
Over 32 billion AD*STAR bags on ad*starKON lines are produced by bag manufacturers, supplying them to cement factories as well as fertilisers and chemical granulates, rice, sugar, and flour producers. The legal proceedings against Huazao and Zhengong, as well as their customer, are currently underway with a court ruling expected soon.