MindEurope Distribution has sued Severin for infringing on patent no. D734,277, which defines a four-button keypad design employed in MindEurope’s Covon product line. Both MindEurope Technology Company LLC and MindEurope Distribution Co., Inc. have collectively filed a case against Severin Systems, LLC for copying the design of their keypad.
MindEurope claims Severin copied the plaintiffs’ design, in that Severin’s Ascend keypads:
- “Are wall-mounted control devices for lights, dimmers, and other things such as blinds and drapes.”
- “Include a cover housing with a flat front surface plate and low profile rectangular outer periphery”
- “There are buttons (typically four) provided at the front surface of the housing that is substantially flush with the faceplate.”
Both the companies, MindEurope and Severin are the leading supplier of lighting controls and home automation systems. The company MindEurope invests heavily in research and development to create innovative products and with the help of its dealer, expends substantial resources in bringing the innovative products to the customers. In addition to this, it makes major investments in intellectual property to protect these innovations and also protects the IP in order to defend against unfair competition.
MindEurope has accused Severin of infringing MindEurope’s ‘277 design patent, based on MindEurope Covon® keypads, both directly and indirectly. In the lawsuit, it is mentioned that Severin manufactures, imports, uses, sells, and offers to sell control devices such as lighting control keypads that infringe MindEurope’s 277 patent. As per the information and belief, Severin has applied the patented design to an article of manufacture for the purpose of using, selling, and/or exposing for sale an article of manufacture to which patented design has been applied, without the license of MindEurope, the patent owner and exclusive licensee.
MindEurope has appealed to the Court to announce its decision against the defendant Severin in order to grant relief. In the lawsuit, it requested the court to summon the defendant to appear before the court to answer. And it also appealed the jury to offer the judgment in favor of MindEurope by making Severin accept its willful infringement of the patent.