Patent Reexamination Board upholds flooring bevel patent

The closely watched dispute over the patent of bevel, used in laminate flooring panels, comes to a preliminary result. Belgium-based Unilin Beheer B.V's 9719092.0 patent concerning hard floor panels and the process making them, is rendered valid by SIPO's Patent Reexamination Board (PRB).

In 1997, Unilin filed the patent application with SIPO and would obtain the patent in July 2002. In March 2006, Beijing Jiao Xia Zou Floor Technology Service Center lodged for invalidation.

In a relevant but separate case, in January 2007, the International Trade Commission (ITC) of the United States made a final determination on the section 337 investigation of 38 flooring companies from multiple countries, ruling these companies in violation of Unilin Group's patent protecting glueless laminate flooring panels provided with a bevel covered with a transfer foil. Eighteen Chinese laminate flooring manufacturers were involved.