Innospec wins patent dispute

Innospec says it has prevailed in a five-year battle to invalidate an Infineum patent for a diesel fuel lubricity enhancer. According to Innospec, which is the parent of fuel-additive maker Associated Octel, the European Patent Office revoked Infineum's patent for an ester-based lubricity additive with cold-flow improvers because it was not inventive. Environmental regulations set to take effect in the U.S. and already in effect in Western Europe call for diesel fuel with a sulfur content of less than 15 ppm. The additives make up for lubricity that sulfur provided. Innospec says that over the past year it has succeeded in invalidating three other diesel fuel lubricity patents held by Infineum, which is a joint venture of ExxonMobil and Shell.