Judge Rules that four Chinese Companies Violated Patents
BOSTON – Goodwin Procter achieved a significant litigation victory for its client Pass & Seymour, Inc. (P&S), when the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) announced that it has found a violation of P&S’s patents by the importation and sale of ground fault circuit interrupters (GFCIs) by a number of Chinese manufacturers and their U.S. distributors.
Goodwin Procter, led by Mark J. Abate in the firm’s New York office, served as counsel for P&S, a leading supplier of electrical wiring devices. Bond Schoeneck & King, PLLC in Syracuse, N.Y. served as co-counsel. The Bond Schoeneck & King team was led by George McGuire.
During the nine day trial, nine fact witnesses and seven expert witnesses presented live testimony and many more witnesses were presented by deposition concerning the patents and the development and operation of P&S’s and respondents’ GFCIs, which are electrical receptacles with “test” and “reset” buttons commonly found in kitchens and bathrooms designed to prevent electric shock injuries. Goodwin Procter was opposed by four different law firms, which collectively raised almost every conceivable defense.
The initial determination was issued by Carl C. Charneski, an ITC administrative law judge. In the initial determination all six asserted patents were found valid, enforceable and infringed. The ITC expected to issue its final decision in December.
The Goodwin Procter trial team also included attorney Calvin Wingfield. Since the initiation of the P&S investigation, Goodwin Procter has been involved in four other ITC investigations.
To see the P&S news release on the ITC finding, please go to: http://www.passandseymour.com/
About Goodwin Procter
Goodwin Procter LLP is one of the nation’s leading law firms with more than 900 attorneys in offices in Boston, Los Angeles, New York, San Diego, San Francisco, Silicon Valley, and Washington, D.C. The firm’s core areas of practice are corporate, litigation and real estate, with specialized areas of focus that include financial services, private equity, technology, REITs and real estate capital markets, intellectual property, tax and products liability. Information may be found at www.goodwinprocter.com.