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Archroma protects optical brightener patents, then grants licences to Blankophor & Igcar
FOCUS surviving entity. This company was already manufacturing high-performance pigments at Oissel. It has absorbed Toyo Ink Europe Plastic Colorants and Toyo Ink Europe (both based at Villier St Paul, 70 km north of Paris), manufacturing plastic colorants and marketing pigments, inkjet inks, pressure sensitive adhesives, adhesives and related products, printing inks, printing related materials and industrial products. Meanwhile, at the end of October 2016, the staff of Toyo Ink's Head Office moved into the newly constructed Kyobashi Edogrand Building, occupying the same site as the company's previous Head Office building, which was demolished three years ago. For the six months to end-September 2016, Toyo Ink reported net sales revenue at Yen 136.5 bn, of which Colorants & Functional Materials 23.5%; Polymers & Coatings (notably can coatings and adhesives) 21.3%; Packaging Materials 23.3%; Printing & Information 29.7%. The Colorants & Functional Materials segment reported operating income at Yen 1.49 bn on sales of Yen 32.14 bn, representing a profit margin of 4.6%. For the years to endSeptember 2012 and 2013, this segment's profitability was 11.4%, but it dropped to 9.3% in the year to end-September 2014 and dropped again to 6.2% last year. Altogether, Toyo Ink has about 50 manufacturing sites worldwide, employing a total workforce of more than 8000 people.
Original Source: Toyo Ink, 8 Aug & 21 Sep & 1 Nov 2016 (2-1, Kyobashi 2-chome, Chuo-ku, Tokyo, Japan, Website: http://www. toyoinkgroup.com) © Toyo Ink 2016.
LITIGATION Archroma protects optical brightener patents, then grants licences to Blankophor & Igcar Archroma (headquartered in Reinach, about 12 km south of Basel city-centre, Switzerland) has granted a licence to Igcar Productos Quimicos (of BarcelonaRubi, Spain) to use its patented technology for making "improved optical brighteners'' designed for use in the paper industry. The relevant patents are EP 2192230 and WO 2009/118247, jointly owned by Archroma (formerly Clariant) and International Paper (of the US). They
January 2017
ON
PIGMENTS
relate to a method for making optical brighteners with magnesium cations offering enhanced brightness and whiteness. The patent protection covers aqueous sizing compositions for the optical brightening of substrates for ink jet printing comprising a binder, a divalent metal salt and a specific optical brightener. The European Patent Office originally granted the patent on 22 August 2012, but this was challenged by Blankophor GmbH (of Leverkusen, Germany) and another party. The appeal received a hearing on 12 October 2015 and the verdict upholding Archroma's patent protection was issued on 17 November 2015. Meanwhile, on 4 May 2015, Blankophor had signed an agreement with Archroma as the first licensee. Igcar became the second licensee. Announcing both agreements, Archroma stated: "We follow standard business practice in defending and respecting our patents and we have recently issued 'cease and desist' orders to several suppliers of optical brighteners whose products have been shown by independent analysis to infringe its proprietary technology. Igcar's subsidiary, Elaboracion de Colorantes, has been making optical brighteners – marketed under the Neucoblanc brandname – since 1990. Blankophor's tradition in optical brighteners dates back to 1940 when Bayer first began making these products, selling them under the Blankophor brandname. The business was transferred to Lanxess in mid-2004, Lanxess then sold it to Kemira in April 2006 and Kemira sold it to Catec GmbH in October 2010. Archroma itself inherited Clariant's Leucophor optical brighteners business in October 2013 as a consequence of Clariant's major corporate restructuring exercise. Since then, Archroma has been a portfolio company of SK Capital Partners (of New York), a $6 bn private investment firm with a disciplined focus on the specialty materials, chemicals and healthcare sectors.
Takashi Kanda at the Berlin Conference on Cosmetic Colorants (See 'Focus on Pigments', Jan 2012, 1-3 & Feb 2012, 7). Intellectual property protection was conferred by US Patent 8,153,108 and related patents in other countries. Kao successfully asserted its intellectual property rights in lawsuits against Henkel (of Germany) and Hoyu (of Japan), then agreed to license its technology to both companies. (See 'Focus on Pigments', Dec 2012, 7 & Jul 2013, 7). Now, Kao has reached an amicable resolution of a similar patent infringement dispute with Procter & Gamble (headquartered in Cincinnati, OH). Kao has granted a licence to Procter & Gamble covering both past and future activities relating to sales of foam-type hair colorants in the Nice’n Easy range. Procter & Gamble has withdrawn from litigation challenging Kao's European patents.
Original Source: Kao Corp, 29 Aug 2016 (14-10 Nihonbashi Kayabacho, 1-chome, Chuo-ku, Tokyo, 103-8210 Japan) © Kao Corp 2016.
3M wins dental ceramic colourmatching patent lawsuit, then grants licence to Dental Direkt
Kao defends foam-type hair colorant patent, then grants licence to Procter & Gamble
Towards the end of May 2016, 3M Corp (headquartered in St Paul, MN) won a lawsuit filed in the Dusseldorf Regional Court, claiming infringement of 3M's patent rights by Dental Direkt GmbH (of Spenge, 15 km north of Bielefeld, Germany). Dental Direkt had been selling zirconia CAD/CAM blocks under the brandnames DD Bio Z and DD Bio ZX2Translucent and it had been selling liquid colorants under the brandnames DD Bio Z Color Classic and DD Bio ZX2 Monolith Zero. These products were deemed to have infringed 3M's patents for colourmatching ceramic-based dental implants and repairs so as to match the patient's natural teeth. Dental Direkt has now been granted a licence to use 3M's technology. Similarly, 3M Corp granted licences, after successful litigation, in the cases of Ivoclar Vivadent (of Schaan, Liechtenstein), White Peaks Dental Systems (of Essen, Germany) and Metoxit (of Thayngen, Switzerland). (See 'Focus on Pigments', Dec 2012, 7 & Apr 2014, 7 & Apr 2015, 7).
Kao Corp (headquartered in Tokyo) developed a novel technology for making foam-type hair colorants, as outlined by Dr
Original Source: 3M Corp, 2 Aug 2016 (Maplewood, MN 55119, USA, Website: http:// www.3M.com) © 3M Corp 2016.
Original Source: Paint & Resin Times, Apr 2016, 2016 (2), 8 (Website: http://www. completecircmktg.co.uk) © Complete Circulation & Marketing 2016.
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Original Source: Toyo Ink, 8 Aug & 21 Sep & 1 Nov 2016 (2-1, Kyobashi 2-chome, Chuo-ku, Tokyo, Japan, Website: http://www. toyoinkgroup.com) © Toyo Ink 2016.
LITIGATION Archroma protects optical brightener patents, then grants licences to Blankophor & Igcar Archroma (headquartered in Reinach, about 12 km south of Basel city-centre, Switzerland) has granted a licence to Igcar Productos Quimicos (of BarcelonaRubi, Spain) to use its patented technology for making "improved optical brighteners'' designed for use in the paper industry. The relevant patents are EP 2192230 and WO 2009/118247, jointly owned by Archroma (formerly Clariant) and International Paper (of the US). They
January 2017
ON
PIGMENTS
relate to a method for making optical brighteners with magnesium cations offering enhanced brightness and whiteness. The patent protection covers aqueous sizing compositions for the optical brightening of substrates for ink jet printing comprising a binder, a divalent metal salt and a specific optical brightener. The European Patent Office originally granted the patent on 22 August 2012, but this was challenged by Blankophor GmbH (of Leverkusen, Germany) and another party. The appeal received a hearing on 12 October 2015 and the verdict upholding Archroma's patent protection was issued on 17 November 2015. Meanwhile, on 4 May 2015, Blankophor had signed an agreement with Archroma as the first licensee. Igcar became the second licensee. Announcing both agreements, Archroma stated: "We follow standard business practice in defending and respecting our patents and we have recently issued 'cease and desist' orders to several suppliers of optical brighteners whose products have been shown by independent analysis to infringe its proprietary technology. Igcar's subsidiary, Elaboracion de Colorantes, has been making optical brighteners – marketed under the Neucoblanc brandname – since 1990. Blankophor's tradition in optical brighteners dates back to 1940 when Bayer first began making these products, selling them under the Blankophor brandname. The business was transferred to Lanxess in mid-2004, Lanxess then sold it to Kemira in April 2006 and Kemira sold it to Catec GmbH in October 2010. Archroma itself inherited Clariant's Leucophor optical brighteners business in October 2013 as a consequence of Clariant's major corporate restructuring exercise. Since then, Archroma has been a portfolio company of SK Capital Partners (of New York), a $6 bn private investment firm with a disciplined focus on the specialty materials, chemicals and healthcare sectors.
Takashi Kanda at the Berlin Conference on Cosmetic Colorants (See 'Focus on Pigments', Jan 2012, 1-3 & Feb 2012, 7). Intellectual property protection was conferred by US Patent 8,153,108 and related patents in other countries. Kao successfully asserted its intellectual property rights in lawsuits against Henkel (of Germany) and Hoyu (of Japan), then agreed to license its technology to both companies. (See 'Focus on Pigments', Dec 2012, 7 & Jul 2013, 7). Now, Kao has reached an amicable resolution of a similar patent infringement dispute with Procter & Gamble (headquartered in Cincinnati, OH). Kao has granted a licence to Procter & Gamble covering both past and future activities relating to sales of foam-type hair colorants in the Nice’n Easy range. Procter & Gamble has withdrawn from litigation challenging Kao's European patents.
Original Source: Kao Corp, 29 Aug 2016 (14-10 Nihonbashi Kayabacho, 1-chome, Chuo-ku, Tokyo, 103-8210 Japan) © Kao Corp 2016.
3M wins dental ceramic colourmatching patent lawsuit, then grants licence to Dental Direkt
Kao defends foam-type hair colorant patent, then grants licence to Procter & Gamble
Towards the end of May 2016, 3M Corp (headquartered in St Paul, MN) won a lawsuit filed in the Dusseldorf Regional Court, claiming infringement of 3M's patent rights by Dental Direkt GmbH (of Spenge, 15 km north of Bielefeld, Germany). Dental Direkt had been selling zirconia CAD/CAM blocks under the brandnames DD Bio Z and DD Bio ZX2Translucent and it had been selling liquid colorants under the brandnames DD Bio Z Color Classic and DD Bio ZX2 Monolith Zero. These products were deemed to have infringed 3M's patents for colourmatching ceramic-based dental implants and repairs so as to match the patient's natural teeth. Dental Direkt has now been granted a licence to use 3M's technology. Similarly, 3M Corp granted licences, after successful litigation, in the cases of Ivoclar Vivadent (of Schaan, Liechtenstein), White Peaks Dental Systems (of Essen, Germany) and Metoxit (of Thayngen, Switzerland). (See 'Focus on Pigments', Dec 2012, 7 & Apr 2014, 7 & Apr 2015, 7).
Kao Corp (headquartered in Tokyo) developed a novel technology for making foam-type hair colorants, as outlined by Dr
Original Source: 3M Corp, 2 Aug 2016 (Maplewood, MN 55119, USA, Website: http:// www.3M.com) © 3M Corp 2016.
Original Source: Paint & Resin Times, Apr 2016, 2016 (2), 8 (Website: http://www. completecircmktg.co.uk) © Complete Circulation & Marketing 2016.
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