Saint-Gobain Sekurit obtains $24.2 million in windshield patent infringement case

A U.S. court recently doubled the damages to be paid to Saint-Gobain Sekurit by windshield maker Xinyi Automobile Glass Co., Shenzhen, China,for windshield patent infringement, according to an April 9 release. The increased damages, in addition to almost $2 million in attorney fees plus costs, bring the total award obtained by Saint-Gobain to $24.2 million dollars.

In the original judgment, on Nov. 10 last year, a federal jury in the Northern District Court of Ohio returned a verdict against Xinyi Glass for willfully infringing two Saint-Gobain Sekurit patents. These patents, covering the windshield design and installation, concern 14 models of automobiles, mostly those of Volvo, Audi and Volkswagen. The original damages award was $10.9 million.

The jury found that Xinyi, by importing automotive windshields and selling them to windshield repair companies, infringed Saint-Gobain’s U.S. patents, granted in October 2001 and March 1992, according to the release.

In 2009, Saint-Gobain’s Flat Glass business filed more than 140 patent applications worldwide as part of its dynamic innovation strategy. This case emphasizes Saint-Gobain’s determination to protect its intellectual property rights in all parts of the world.

Subsidiary of Saint-Gobain, one of the world’s top 100 industrial groups, Saint-Gobain Sekurit is one of the world’s leading producers of automotive glass and glass for transport vehicles. One out of two cars in Europe is glazed by Saint-Gobain Sekurit. Headquartered in France, the business employs 12,100 people worldwide, and is supported by a sales and operating network of 40 sites located in 22 countries. Sales in 2009 reached €1.597billion [$2.128 billion].