World's flooring giant to co-op with Chinese firms
Updated: 2012-01-16 11:43
(China Daily Shanghai Bureau)
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Unilin, the world leading flooring manufacturer, also the patent owner of a glue-less locking technology for flooring, said it has achieved cooperation with over 100 major Chinese flooring firms, after constant disputes with Chinese firms since 2005.
"Most of the big laminated flooring companies in China are now authorized users of us," said David Song, chief representative of Unilin's Shanghai Representative Office, noting that well-known domestic brands like Power Dekor, or Nature, are paying Unilin patent fees as they use the locking technology.
Unilin has owned patents since 1997 for the method of connecting floor panels by angling and snapping horizontally and shared the market with another European company.
In July 2005, 18 Chinese flooring exporters were sued by Unilin for patent infringement claim. The the United States International Trade Commission (ITC) later issued a General Exclusion Order, prohibiting the entry into the United States of any unlicensed laminated floor panels covered by Unilin patents.
"Some Chinese firms think locking technology is not that complicated and similar to traditional Chinese carpentry, but patent does not equal to 'complicated'. And companies should follow the regulation if they want to go globally," Song said.
But he also stressed that more Chinese companies are cooperating with them now, not only for export purposes, but "out of an awareness of intellectual property".