Sydney, Australia — LeisureTech Electronics has issued a press release stating that it is “shocked” and is considering an appeal in response to a recent English Patents Court decision declaring that LeisureTech’s A-BUS patent in the U.K. was invalid. The recently handed down decision followed a lengthy dispute with the public U.K. company Armour Group regarding its Systemline Modular products that are available only in that country.
In the statement, LeisureTech stated that over the last few years the Australian company went to “great lengths” to resolve the matter with Armour. “The inability of the parties to reach a commercial settlement is highly regrettable and as a result Armour’s Systemline Modular products remain effectively locked out of the U.S. and other markets, beyond the U.K., where LeisureTech holds a valid patent.”
According to LeisureTech, the English decision is based on English law and has no impact on LeisureTech’s patents in Europe, U.S., Canada, Mexico, Australia, and New Zealand, which all remain valid and in full force and effect.
Armour Group filed an opposition to Leisuretech’s patent in the European Patent Office. Any decision in the European Patent Office will be independent of the U.K. proceedings, and LeisureTech remains confident that the validity of the European patent will be upheld.
LeisureTech is still evaluating the decision in the U.K. and intends to seek leave to appeal. If Leisuretech does not win on any appeal, then its exposure to Armour Group following the litigation is at worst limited to a proportion of Armour’s legal costs.
