A Scottish company that transforms the sides of heavy good vehicles into giant advertising poster sites has shown it means business by taking a competitor to the European courts.
Glasgow-based Agripa, which holds a European patent for the use of advertising mesh panels on vehicle sides, discovered earlier this summer that Roland International, the world\'s largest producer of tarpaulin covers and side curtains for international freight transport, was infringing the patent.
Agripa immediately launched legal proceedings against Roland in The Netherlands, where the case was heard by the specialist Dutch patents court in The Hague.
Agripa won the case: in a landmark decision, the Court held that the patent was valid and that Roland was liable for infringement. The Court granted a cross-border interim injunction restraining Roland from manufacturing and selling its mesh Rolabanner system in continental Europe.
The Agripa system, which was invented by Hillington based Scots entrepreneur, John Pitt, was granted its patent for 19 European countries including The Netherlands in January 2005.
Pitt, a recent winner in the Ernst and Young Entrepreneur of the Year awards and Managing Director of Agripa said: “We are delighted with this ruling which safeguards our product throughout Europe and validates the worth of our patent. We will not hesitate to defend ourselves against any future copycat products from competitors, whatever their size and wherever they are based.
“As they say in the football vernacular - an away goal scores double and we’re over the moon!”
Agripa recently reported full year results showing a 96% increase in turnover to £3.1 million in just 2 years of trading.
The company was represented by Bristows and Dutch lawyers De Brauw Blackstone Westbroek. Roland International was advised by Freshfields.