DSM sues a Chinese firm

DSM has filed a lawsuit against the Chinese company Hangzhou Pivot International for infringing its patents to produce high-performance polyethylene (HPPE) fiber used in bulletproof fabrics, high-strength rope, and cut-resistant garments. Before it filed the suit, DSM obtained authorization from government authorities to seize merchandise that Hangzhou had on display in the fall at the Milipol 2005 exhibition on state security in Paris. The suit, filed before the Court of Paris, in France, asks judicial authorities to confirm that fiber, rope, and other finished articles exhibited by Hangzhou infringe DSM's patents for its Dyneema fiber. This is not the first time DSM has taken action against a Chinese company to protect its franchise for the fiber, demand for which is growing fast. In 2004, DSM says, the company obtained a verdict from the District Court of The Hague, in the Netherlands, against CEN International Trading for infringing DSM's HPPE patents.