The court ruled that Maytronics had not proved that its product improved the robot’s climbing and towing ability.
The Tel Aviv District Court has dismissed an appeal by Maytronics Ltd. (TASE:MTRN) against a decision by the Israel Patent Office accepting the objection by Aqua Products Inc. of the US to Maytronics’ patent application submitted in March 1995 for a underwater swimming pool cleaning robot.
In its patent application, Maytronics said its underwater robot’s main innovation was its ability to climb sloped or vertical pool walls using ibex skin. Aqua Products claimed, through Adv. Eitan Shaulsky, that Maytronics had not proved that its method should be patented, because synthetic ibex skin had been used for this purpose since 1991.
Judge Sarah Dotan ruled that Maytronics had not proved that its product improved the robot’s climbing and towing ability compared with other products. She ordered Maytronics to pay Aqua Products NIS 15,000 in costs.
Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes.co.il - on March 20, 2006
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