A federal appeals court has ruled that the patent for Houweling’s UltraClima Semi-Closed Greenhouse is valid.
Houweling’s, Camarillo, Calif., defended the patent for greenhouse system against a group of 11 greenhouse manufacturers that challenged it, according to a Houweling’s news release. The court affirmed the validity of the patent in an Oct. 11 ruling, according to the release.
“Houweling’s has always been prepared and committed to protecting intellectual property, and its advanced technology has changed and expanded possibilities available to create strides in the greenhouse industry,” according to the release. “Houweling’s has put substantive effort and funds into perfecting the Ultra-Clima design and will aggressively defend its patent rights.”
Van Der Hoeven Horticultural Projects, The Netherlands, was the lead challenger in the case. The U.S Patent Trial and Appeal Board ruled against Van Der Hoeven, according to the release, “holding that Van Der Hoeven failed to show that claims in the Ultra-Clima patent were unpatenable.”
Van Der Hoeven appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, which affirmed the original decision, according to the release.
Related stories:
