(Middlewich, England) has reached agreement to buy the "assisted molding" patents from the liquidator of Gibraltar-based Melea Ltd. The deal will also include the Melea trading name. Melea's patents were marketed by Gain Technologies out of the U.S. The company was driven into bankruptcy after it lost a defining case in the English patent courts, and was required to cover legal costs due to Cinpres. (See PlasticsToday's original coverage here.)
In a release, Cinpres Managing Director Jon Butler said, "There can now be no further confusion—Cinpres will be the undisputed owner of all the appropriate gas-assisted technologies. Customers can now buy our technologies without fear of contested claims and counter-claims between Cinpres and Melea, or any other party." —[email protected]