Gray Manufacturing Company, Inc., announced Wednesday it has initiated a patent infringement lawsuit in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania against Sefac USA Inc. (Sefac USA), a wholly owned subsidiary of Sefac S.A., a French corporation.
Gray is taking this action for SefacUSA’s infringement of multiple Gray patents, including: U.S. Patent No. RE41,544, U.S. Patent No. 7,014,012, U.S. Patent No. 9,352,944, and U.S. Patent No. 9,656,843.
In the lawsuit, Gray alleges the defendent, SefacUSA, is making, selling, offering to sell, using, and/or importing products that infringe Gray’s patents. Gray seeks, among other things, damages and injunctive relief preventing SefacUSA and its distributors from future conduct that may violate Gray’s numerous patents related to wireless lifting devices.
Gray says it is the original inventor of wireless lifting solutions, leading the industry since 2003 with this product. It has litigated and protected its legal property rights covered under the mentioned patents on numerous occasions.
“Gray is greatly damaged by the actions of SefacUSA. We believe that SefacUSA has deliberately and willfully infringed upon Gray’s exclusive property rights,” says Stet Schanze, president at Gray. “Without this action Gray will continue to suffer irreparable harm in its trade and business as a result of SefacUSA’s infringement our patents.
“We simply cannot allow another company to take these unlawful and harmful actions against our company, customers, and employees. We fully expect the Federal Court to rule that our patents are valid and infringed by SefacUSA, thereby enabling us to prevent further unauthorized usage of our intellectual property.”
Gray Manufacturing says it has spent millions of dollars in the development, maintenance, and enforcement of these patents. Patents are issued to spur American companies to invent and develop products that improve our way of life and are the backbone of American entrepreneurialism, Gray says. Because of this, the company says it will vigorously pursue and defends it rights granted under the patents issued by the United States Patent and Trademark Office.
