DuPont Chemicals & Fluoroproducts (DC&F) said that it won the Teflon patent and trademark infringement case against the Italian cookware and home appliances company Bialetti Industrie S.p.A., Coccaglio/Italy.
On 12 March 2014, the Court of First Instance of Milan (Italy) issued a decision in favour of DuPont. The Court found Bialetti had infringed the Teflon trademark and/or the Italian part of DuPont European patent EP 1 1016 466 B2, protecting the DuPont Teflon Platinum nonstick coating technology, and was in breach of the Teflon Trademark License Agreement signed with DuPont in 2001.
DuPont was awarded monetary damages and reimbursement of legal and expert fees totaling about EUR540,000 (US$750,000). Moreover, the Court also granted injunctions prohibiting further infringement and rejected all Bialetti counter claims against the validity of the related patent and trademark. Bialetti was also ordered to withdraw and destroy all pans that infringe the Italian portion of EP 1 1016 466 as well as to destroy all labels, packaging, products and brochures that infringe the same patent, the trademark Teflon and that are in breach of the Teflon Trademark License Agreement. The decision is subject to appeal.