PROPERTY RIGHTS

Dear Customer,

GRAF Synergy is well known for its ability to innovate and to offer high quality products according to the most modern technological standards.
GRAF has been the first manufacture to develop “seamless” technology, and the first one to sell on the market welding machines that do not need Corner Cleaner.
GRAF is the only manufacturing company with almost ten years of experience in the seamless field, with more than 530 seamless welders from our series SL4FF and SL4FF EVO delivered till end of 2020 producing windows for our customers.
GRAF Synergy prefers to explain to customers the characteristics of its machines, but, in this case, it is necessary to respond to the messages disseminated on the market by competitors.

GRAF Synergy increases regularly its strong investments in research and development and it is the owner of several European patents, validated in Germany, related to our device for welding profiled plastic material elements, i.e. EP 3156214 (“EP‘214”), EP 2822751 (“EP‘751”) and EP 3141374 (“EP‘374”). Of course, we expect that our competitors always respect the property rights.

One of our competitors, URBAN, argues that its products don’t infringe one of GRAF Synergy’s patent.

In the opinion of several patent experts, the infringement is evident.
According to this strong conviction, GRAF started a full scale litigation against URBAN before the Court of Düsseldorf for infringement of EP ‘214 by URBAN’s welding machines.
The proceeding is still pending.

An opposition against EP‘214 was filed by URBAN and other competitors before the EPO (the European Patent Office).
On 21st January the opposition division of the EPO decided for a decision of revocation of the patent and GRAF will appeal such decision once it will be published.
We are convinced of the validity of EP’214, not only because the EPO initially granted it, but also because the Österreichisches Patentamt (the Austrian Patent Office) considers it valid having examined the same objections.

Therefore now pending the publication and the following appeal EP‘214 is still valid.

In addition to that, URBAN and other competitors have to consider the scope of protection of other above mentioned GRAF’s patents, protecting the GRAF seamless technology.
In particular EP‘751 (no longer opposable and valid until 2032) and EP‘374, that URBAN opposed before the EPO (proving to have real interest in such technology), but the European Patent Office rejected Urban’s and the others oppositions and confirmed the full validity of EP ‘374.

This is why we firmly believe to protect our valid technology from those who copy it, even attacking in their respective countries where they are based, as it did happen.