Lifetime Wins First Patent Infringement Lawsuit in China

April 20, 2012

CLEARFIELD, UTAH — Lifetime Products, a world leader in blow-molded folding tables and chairs, announced today that the Shanghai First Intermediate Court entered a judgment against Zhejiang Bestem Furniture Co., Ltd., Zhejiang Bestem Machinery Co., Ltd. (previously called Hanghzou Dali Tools Packing Co., Ltd.), and Hangzhou Bestem Furniture Co., Ltd. (collectively, “Bestem”). The court found infringement of Chinese patent 03807208.4 by Bestem who was manufacturing folding utility tables that utilized the same table edge and corner design as those Lifetime invented and patented. Today's judgment requires Bestem to pay Lifetime compensation of 200,000 RMB (about $32,000). Bestem has 15 days to appeal the judgment.

"We are thrilled with the Chinese court's findings," said Lifetime President Richard Hendrickson. “More important to us than the monetary compensation is the significance of this achievement of successfully enforcing our Chinese patents in a Chinese court for the very first time. Now we have protected both a trademark and a patent in a foreign court which is a huge milestone for any manufacturer. Today's ruling falls of the heels of Lifetime successfully defending its trademark against infringers in a Chinese court late last year.”

Hendrickson continued, "Infringers threaten innovation. Infringing companies unfairly benefit from innovating companies because they don't have to recoup the cost of research and development. This win is the stimulus for us, as well as other manufacturers, to globally continue pursuing infringers."

Lifetime has a long history of creating a strong, global patent portfolio and of enforcing its intellectual property rights in the United States and other countries throughout the world. As both a manufacturer and innovator, Lifetime continues to monitor the international market for products that infringe its intellectual property, and will take appropriate action to enforce its intellectual property rights in venues worldwide when necessary.

"As a global brand, we manufacture and innovate worldwide,” Hendrickson said. “Our teams of research engineers and designers in the U.S. and China work in conjunction and are committed to innovating and improving products and processes where they’ve been created.”

In 1998, Lifetime introduced the first blow-molded polyethylene folding utility table to the market. then introduced a blow-molded polyethylene folding chair in 2000. Today, Lifetime is the world's largest manufacturer of blow-molded polyethylene folding tables and chairs and holds a portfolio of more than 500 worldwide patents. For more information about Lifetime Products, Inc. visit www.lifetime.com.