FMC Corporation, an agricultural sciences company, announced that the Zhengzhou Court in China's Henan province ruled in its favour in a patent infringement lawsuit against Henan Yongfeng Chemical Co., Ltd, Suqian Haide Pharmaceutical and Chemical Co., Ltd, Xinxiang Runyu New Material Technology Co., Ltd, and Wang Shichao (collectively "defendants").
FMC sued the defendants in May 2022 for infringement of a proprietary essential intermediate utilised in the production of chlorantraniliprole, FMC's primary insect control active component.
On September 9, 2022, the Chinese court found all of the defendants guilty of infringing FMC's composition of matter patent for a critical intermediary in the manufacture of chlorantraniliprole and ordered them to compensate FMC for corresponding losses.
FMC said in a press release that it welcomes the court's prompt decision to defend FMC's intellectual property rights in China. Intellectual property rights promote crop protection solution innovation by acknowledging the enormous time, money, and effort engaged in identifying new active components. These rights exist to protect farmers, customers, investors, employees, suppliers, and partners," said Pramod Thota, FMC's Asia Pacific president.
He also added "FMC has demonstrated that we have substantial and defensible patents covering manufacturing, manufacturing ingredients, formulation, and use that go much beyond the chlorantraniliprole active ingredient composition of matter patent. We will continue to actively defend our intellectual property both in China and beyond."