The U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) issued a substantial modification to its initial determination in the Sino Legend (Zhangjiagang) Chemical Co., Ltd. and SI Group Inc. intellectual property case. The commission ruled that the majority of SI Group’s alleged trade secrets are unprotectable, and rejected SI’s request to exclude Sino Legend SL-1805 and SL-7015 resins from U.S. import. The ITC also struck down the originally recommended general exclusion order.

"We are in the process of reviewing the multifaceted ruling in its entirety, including our options to appeal the few remaining elements,” said Corey Xie, general manager, Sino Legend. “Of particular note is the ITC’s reversal on what products are affected. The decision allows our customers to use all Sino Legend tackifiers in any of their non-U.S. production facilities, and then import those products into the U.S. without restriction.” Sino Legend plans to continue growing its share of the U.S. market, offering its broad portfolio of technologically-advanced resins. In mid-2013, Shanghai No.2 Intermediate People's Court ruled in favor of Sino Legend in two landmark patent application rights and trade secret infringement cases. All claims brought by SI Group Inc. and SI (Shanghai) Co., Ltd. in Case Nos. 48 and 50, similar to its ITC challenges, were found to have no factual or legal basis.

Further, Sino Legend’s process was confirmed to be novel and inventive. In less than six years after beginning full-scale production, Sino Legend has become the largest Asian manufacturer of resins for the tire and rubber industries, holding 70 percent of the Chinese market and 30 percent share for the rest of Asia. The company is a supplier to 13 of the top 15 multinational tire companies operating in Asia, as well as to the majority of China’s domestic manufacturers.

Source: rubberworld.com