Recently, LegalOne, the internationally renowned rating agency for commercial transactions and dispute resolution projects, announced its annual "LegalOne Merits" awards.

The case "Hongda Research Institute Defeats German Patent Infringement Claim Through Successful Invalidation," handled by Globe-Law partner Lawyer Xu Jianghua, along with Counsel Ma Xiaotian and Wu Hongli, was awarded the LegalOne Merits (Remarkable) rating.

Case Overview

Hongda Research Institute Co., Ltd. is a technology enterprise jointly funded by China Textile Machinery (Group) Co., Ltd. and Jingwei Textile Machinery Co., Ltd., focusing on the R&D of strategic textile technologies within the group. In 2023, the German Reifenhäuser Technology Center filed a lawsuit with the Guangzhou Intellectual Property Court, alleging that Hongda's spunbond nonwoven fabric equipment infringed upon its invention patent and claiming over RMB 10 million in damages. Hongda entrusted Globe-Law to handle the case. The legal team formulated a two-pronged strategy: advancing a non-infringement defense while simultaneously initiating a patent invalidation proceeding.

Key Challenges and Achievements

The core challenge of the case lay in the fact that the patent-in-suit directly covered Hongda's equipment. Should the invalidation fail, Hongda would face not only substantial compensation but also potential disruption to its equipment sales. The Globe-Law team adopted a coordinated strategy combining non-infringement defenses with patent invalidation proceedings. They organized multiple senior patent examiners to conduct a comprehensive prior art search, systematically analyzed and optimized the evidence combination, and successfully argued for the patent's invalidation. Ultimately, the court declared the plaintiff's patent invalid and dismissed the infringement claim, thereby not only removing IP barriers to Hongda's business operations but also clearing potential risks for the overseas expansion of China's textile equipment market.

This recognition reflects LegalOne's high regard for Globe-Law's outstanding capabilities and solid professional foundation, and further underscores Globe-Law's profound strength and expertise in the intellectual property field. Moving forward, Globe-Law will continue to deepen its IP legal services, continuously refine its professional competencies, and explore innovative service models, delivering superior, efficient, and comprehensive legal services to clients and the market.