BASF Protects Its Intellectual Property

BASF is cracking down on Chinese counterfeits of its Irgacure 819 photoinitiator. The company has sent cease-and-desist letters to distributors that it says have been using an unauthorized version of the chemical, which helps coatings and adhesives set when exposed to ultraviolet light. So far one distributor has complied. BASF patented the product’s synthesis, and chemical analysis can be used to determine if other companies use its process, it warns. Separately, the High Court of Australia has ruled in favor of BASF in a dispute against France’s SNF over infringement of BASF patents for Rheomax ETD, a chemical used to treat water in the mining industry.