The Hettich Group initiated action against several companies at the Interzum 2015 for violating their property rights. Hettich had launched this drive to safeguard its own and its customers’ competitiveness with an internationally focused property rights strategy.
At the Interzum 2015, Hettich checked numerous companies for infringements of property rights, and was able to take action with support from Cologne's criminal investigation department. Twenty cautions were issued to violators with ‘cease and desist’ declaration, and injunctions were obtained in two cases from the Regional Court in Düsseldorf and put into place by the bailiff.
The Hettich Group possesses over 2400 technical property rights, and uses its extensive patent portfolio successfully against property rights infringers. Hettich has been taking action against plagiarists for many years now to prevent the sale of product copies. Inspecting exhibitor products at key exhibitions such as the Interzum 2015 in Cologne is one of the measures employed by the company to monitor property rights infringement.
Hettich, assisted by patent agents, systematically checked about 70 companies at the Interzum 2015 exhibition for property rights infringements. The focus was on hinges, drawer runners as well as fittings for sliding doors and upholstered furniture. In the event a property right infringement was detected, the exhibitor was requested to remove the products and information material.
Hettich’s drive against property rights violators is delivering results. Unlike previous years, no copies of Quadro drawer runners were discovered or trademark infringements established, demonstrating the sustainability of the approach; some companies who were prosecuted during Interzum 2013 and Interzum 2015 in Guangzhou had no product copies on their exhibition stand in Cologne.
The Hettich Group has not yet found pirated copies of their ArciTech drawer and Actro runner, both manufactured using modern production technologies and protected by a large number of property rights. The latest drawer runner from the Actro range, the Actro 5D was presented for the first time at Interzum 2015.
According to Dr Andreas Hettich, the company constantly invests in research for new product development. To safeguard the products and their financial investment, Hettich operates a broad, internationally based property rights strategy on registering patents, brands and designs. Their inspection drive at the Interzum trade fair sends out a clear signal that Hettich takes resolute action against infringements of property rights.
