medmix, a global leader in high-precision delivery devices, has won a landmark court ruling in Germany to help protect its customers from counterfeit products. Found to be in breach of Unfair Competition Law, a distributor of cattle care products in Baden-Württemberg agreed to a Judgement by Acknowledgement at Cologne District Court for selling imitations of the patented Quadro™ static mixing tips, owned by medmix, type MFQ (Court ref: 84 O 131/22).
As well as agreeing to cease the infringement and provide information regarding the source of the counterfeits – this distributor will introduce high quality, genuine Quadro mixing tips as part of its range.
“This is a landmark ruling against counterfeiters of our patented mixing tips for industrial sealants and adhesives,” said Hans-Peter Brack, Head of IP Management at medmix group. “We are totally committed to defending our rights and removing inferior counterfeit products from the market. We actively support distributors to supply only genuine Quadro products, ensuring that users receive the safest and most effective solution.”
Static mixing tips are used in two-component adhesives and sealant applications. In the case of the Quadro MFQ mixing tip, both material components of a cartridge are mixed by the specific inlet structure of the tip. Typically, this tip has always been designed with a unique and distinctive visual appearance in green with a white interface to be mounted on the cartridge. Mixing tips require regular replacement, and cheap counterfeits are often available on e-commerce websites. However, inferior tips can offer poor and even dangerous mixing results, as well as the risk of breakage or leakage, which could be avoided by using tested, high-quality originals.
“Hoof repair is usually an undertaking for farmers and vital to the welfare of the animal. Using an inferior mixing tip can mean that a cow or horse is receiving poor quality care, which may result in distress. By using a high-quality static mixing tip, farmers and veterinarians can ensure optimal treatment and a much happier animal,” Hans-Peter explained.
In this case, an approved distributor alerted medmix to the counterfeits, but the company takes further steps to identify poor quality imitations. medmix works with customs and border control to stop counterfeits entering local markets and regularly screens trade shows for counterfeits. Internet trademark and image monitoring are used with reference to 3D and other trademarks held by the business, allowing automated assistance in the identification of infringements. Information is also available on the medmix website to help customers spot and avoid fakes.
Hans-Peter added: “As well as defending the rights and safety of our customers and end users, we want to improve the supply chain. Accordingly, we will be supporting the corresponding distributor in Germany to provide original products, so that they can sell genuine, authentic mixing tips. We have also given permission for medmix branding to be incorporated in its brochures and other communication tools for the purpose of identifying our genuine Quadro products.
“We are experienced at defending our rights in the dental industry, but this ruling shows that we are ready to protect our innovations for the industrial market too. As a technology company, we are dedicated to removing counterfeits from sale and ensuring that our customers and distributors, as well as end users, do not suffer the consequences of fake mixing tips.”