I4F, a group of companies providing patents and technologies to the flooring industry, announced the launch of a new labeling system that accompanies its offer to all I4F licensees to sign up for a specific non-assertion agreement providing extra protection worldwide on certain patents for new materials with a locking system. This follows the separate settlement agreements I4F signed with Unilin and Välinge.
Many I4F licensees have already applied for, and received, a non-assertion and will receive new sets of I4F labels as from July 1, 2020. Labels will differ according to four distinct geographical areas. All remaining I4F licensees are eligible to sign up for this additional protection from I4F, which will include separate fees.
The new region-specific labels, based on the L2C program, are designed to protect I4F’s licensees, and their customers, from any potential infringement claims linked to those patents on new materials products including SPC, LVT and WPC with a locking system. This includes the ongoing ITC investigation in the United States, whereby once a General Exclusion Order (GEO) is granted, only products with I4F’s new L2C non-assertion labels will be allowed entry into the US without further investigation or application of the GEO.
L2C is an industry authentication labelling program for licensed partners whereby an authorized holographic label is required on every box of product manufactured with, and sold, using specific flooring patent rights. All products using I4F technologies in boxes without labels are considered as unlicensed products for the additional protection, even if they are manufactured by a licensed company.