Unilin Terminates Glueless Locking License Agreements of Non-Compliant Licensees

On the 29th of May 2013, Flooring Industries, the IP company of the Unilin group, has terminated its laminate and LVT license agreements with Jiangsu Daou, after obtaining evidence that this company was not honoring its contractual obligations.

In the last months, Flooring Industries also had to terminate the agreements with Jiangsu Eting, Fujian Yongan, Changzhou Aoduo, Anhui Hongyu, Shenzhen Jiancheng, Changsha Lingge, Changzhou Hengxiang, Jiangsu Dezhe, Anji Tianpeng, Shanghai Brightway, Hubei Tri-ring, Shenyang Jinuoer, Jiangsu Hui Pu and Jiangsu Shuangqi.

In order to protect the interests of its compliant licensees, Flooring Industries launched, together with the company Välinge Innovation, the holographic label program for licensed products made in China. If such licensees sell glueless products without labels, they are not only in breach of their license agreement, but they are also selling unlicensed products to their customers, since the agreements with the individual licensees clearly specify that products sold in boxes without labels are falling outside the scope of the license agreement. Such companies that are buying, exporting and/or reselling unlicensed glueless flooring products falling under the clic patent portfolio of the Unilin group, are also liable for patent infringement in their respective home countries.

Flooring Industries is determined to act against the companies that are not honoring their contractual commitments and to act against the companies that are doing business in unlicensed products. For more information about the L2C holographic label program, please check the dedicated website: http://www.l2clabels.com.