Supplement company wins $250,000 in patent dispute
Glyconutrients are those that deliver functional levels of carbohydrates.
The settlement was reached and finalised by a US District Judge who issued final judgment and permanent injunction against Techmedica Health and Ionx Holdings for their breaches.
Mannatech in 2006 brought a suit in a Northern Texas District Court against the companies, stating they were infringing five of its patents (6,929,807; 7,157,431; 7,196,064; 7,199,104; and 7,202,220).
The agreement found the patents were enforceable and preventedTechmedica and Ionx from, “making, using, offering to sell, selling, or otherwise distributing within the United States, or importing into the United States, infringing products, which include the current formulations of Activive, Candidol, Claritose, Lupazol, Nutratose, Respitrol, Rhumatol, Synaptol and Viratrol, as well as any other products that infringe the patents in suit”.
“This judgment further validates that our patents are good, valid and enforceable under law, and that Mannatech will vigorously enforce its rights under these patents,” said Keith Clark,Mannatech executive vice president and chief legal officer.
The ruling is the latest in a long of disputes that has seen Mannatech settle three times with about seven parties in the past four years over infringements of the 45+ patents it holds in 30 countries.
The multi-level marketer with turnover in excess of $300m employs a system calledReal Food Technology to deliver natural and plant-based formulations such as its flagship product Ambrotose – an aloe vera extract.
The company in 2009 settled a case with the Texas attorney general over false and misleading claims and paid restitution to, as Clark told NutraIngredients-USA.com today, "unhappy customers".
There are no ongoing cases although Clark said the company was evaluating some potential infringers.
