Rotork successfully defends intellectual property rights in Europe
30/05/2007
In a legal judgement on 11th April 2007, the Court of The Hague, Netherlands, found Shanghai Autork Digital Apparatus Co. Ltd guilty of slavish imitation, breach of copyright and violation of design rights relating to Rotork's award winning IQ and IQT series of actuators
In addition 'Autork' was found guilty of infringing Rotork's internationally recognised trademark.
In a wide ranging judgement, 'Autork' was ordered by the Court, with immediate effect, to stop infringing Rotork's proprietary rights throughout the whole of the expanded European Community. The Court further instructed 'Autork' to remove infringing product from storage addresses, distribution points and customers.
'Autork', based in Mid-Yunnan Road, Shanghai, PRC is a trading organisation very closely affiliated to Tefulong Group Co. Ltd (formerly known as Zhejiang Tefulong Machinery Co. Ltd) who also trade as Wenzhou Greatork Apparatus Co. Ltd. The President, principal shareholder and legal representative of these businesses is the Wenzhou businessman and property developer Mr Baoping Fang. Further action against 'Tefulong', its affiliated companies and legal representative is ongoing with Shanghai People's Court of China.
Rotork, currently celebrating its 50th anniversary, has been responsible for introducing many innovations within valve automation and its products are the result of extensive research and development. Rotork urges its customers and users to be vigilant and wary of inferior imitations of its products and components that have not been subjected to the same level of third party approvals and certifications. If in any doubt, customers are requested to contact their nearest official Rotork representative.