Ansell has filed a patent-infringement lawsuit against Reckitt Benckiser for its distribution of the Durex RealFeel condom.
The action, filed in the US District Court for the district of Delaware, alleges that the RealFeel condom infringes US patents numbers 8,087,412, 8,464,719, 9,074,027 and 9,074,029, all of which are entitled ‘Dip-formed Synthetic Polyisoprene Latex Articles with Improved Intraparticle and Interparticle Crosslinks’.
In November 2014, as part of a global strategy to protect its intellectual property protecting Ansell’s non-latex SKYN condom product line, Ansell filed a patent-infringement suit against Reckitt Benckiser Australia in the NSW District Registry of the Federal Court of Australia regarding the Australian counterpart patent (Australian patent 2009241426) to the US patents. The Australian litigation is presently entering the discovery phase.
Ansell is requesting a permanent injunction to stop Reckitt Benckiser from engaging in any of the following activities in the US during the term of the patents, without the licence or authority of Ansell:
- Importing the Durex RealFeel product into the US.
- Selling, supplying or otherwise disposing of the Durex RealFeel product in the US.
- Offering to sell, supply or otherwise dispose of the Durex RealFeel product in the US.
In addition, Ansell is seeking damages, attorney fees and further costs, interest or other relief as the court deems just and proper.