国内23家竹地板企业抵制国外恶意指控联合声明

近期，国外某些公司滥用知识产权，向中国公司生产并出口至国外的竹地板产品的经销商散发函件，无理指控上述竹地板产品侵犯所谓美国第5543197号专利权及在其他国家的同族专利权，这是典型的不正当竞争行为， 本会谨严正忠告国外某些公司，请立即停止散发该种函件的不正当威胁行为。否则，我们将不得不采取正义的法律行动， 依法维护公序良俗和市场环境。
　　中国林产工业协会竹材专业委员会包括四十多家中国竹产业企业，还有南京林业大学、浙江林学院等多家大学和科研机构。
　　本会早就全面分析了美国第5543197号专利及在其他国家之同族专利的详细内容，并且查实完成于上世纪九十年代初的美国第5543197号专利的专利申请日为1994年2月18日。我们同时进行的相应专利检索清清楚楚表明：仅仅中国专利局1989年11月22日授权的第88102689.1号“一种竹胶积成板的制造方法” 中国发明专利（由中国龙游县压板厂1988年5月3日提出专利申请），就与该美国第5543197号专利属于同一技术方案。同时，中华人民共和国林业部为规范竹材重组材类产品17173的质量，于1992年9月9日颁行的包含上述技术方案的中华人民共和国林业行业标准LY/T 1072-1992“竹篾积成胶合板技术条件”、LY/T 1073-1992“竹篾积成胶合板物理力学性能测试方法”。该两项标准实施10年后，重新修订合并为LY/T 1072-2002“竹篾层积材”标准，于2002年10月12日发布并实施。中国利用该技术方案生产竹材重组材类产品已有20多年的历史，因此竹材重组材技术在前早已属于公知技术，重竹地板只是利用该技术生产的一种产品而已。 
　　1994年2月18日美国第5543197号专利申请提出时，同样的技术方案至少在前已在中国公开，该专利申请已经完全丧失了新颖性。无论根据美国的专利法，还是根据中国的专利法，或者根据其他主要国家，例如澳大利亚、西班牙、墨西哥等国家的专利法，丧失了新颖性的技术方案即使被授予专利权，也是混进去的“假性专利权”，依法应当宣告无效。某些居心不良的国外公司借以威胁的美国第5543197号专利及其在世界各国的同族专利正是这样一个实质上是无效的、依法应当被无效的“假性专利”。本会早已公开阐明这一情况，国外某些公司也理应知晓这一情况。遗憾的是，国外某些公司仍然明知故违，不顾事实真相，恶意指控中国公司生产并出口至美国或者其他有关国家的竹地板产品之经销商侵犯其专利权，国外某些公司的这种行为已经构成不正当竞争。
    本会严正声明，请立即停止散发该种函件的不正当威胁行为。本会和相关权益人保留进一步追究国外某些公司相应法律责任的权利。

                                                 中国林产工业协会竹材专业委员会
                                                               主任委员：张齐生

                                                                  2007年3月27日

 
STATEMENT

      Recently, some foreign companies have sent letters to the dealers of Chinese manufacturers of bamboo
flooring, being exported to foreign countries, alleging that the above bamboo products infringe the
No. 5543197 American Patent and its family patents in other countries. For this conduct typically
constitutes unfair competition, this association hereby advises the foreign companies stop the unfair
threat of sending such letters, and otherwise we’ll take legal actionsagainst these foreign companies,
for their bad faith in business ethics and constitution of patent abuse and unfair competition.

      This association is the branch of CNFPIA (China National Forest Product Industry Association), whose
members including over 40 Chinese companies in bamboo processing industry, Nanjing Forestry University,
Zhenjiang Forest College and other scientific research institutions.     This association have analyzed
the all-round information of the No. 5543197 American Patent and its family patents, and found that the
No. 5543197 American Patent was filed on Feb.18,1994. By patent searching, we’ve also found that the
Chinese patent (No.88102689.1) of “a process of making parallel bamboo strand lumber”, which was filed
on May 3,1988, is identified with the above U.S patent. Moreover, Forest Ministry of PRC issued PRC forest
industry standards LY/T 1072-1992 of “Technical Qualifications of Parallel Bamboo Strand Lumber” and
LY/T 1073-1992 of “Test Method for Physical and Mechanical Performance of Parallel Bamboo Strand Lumber”
on Sep. 9, 1992, in order to control the quality of the recomposed bamboo strand lumber products.Ten years
later, the two standards were revised and formed one standard, that is, LY/T 1072-2002 of “Parallel Bamboo
Strand Lumber”, which was issued and came into effect on Oct. 12, 2002. Chinese enterprises therefore have
used this technology to manufacture recomposed bamboo strand lumber products for over 20 years, and the
recomposed bamboo strand lumber technology have been public and prior art, in which the recomposed bamboo
flooring is just one of the products using this technology. Therefore, before the date Feb.18,1994, the same
invention had been public and became prior art to the above U.S patent, that is, the U.S patent has no
novelty. Though having been granted patent right, an invention without novelty is an illusory patent that
should be invalidated legally, in any event, according to American Patent Law, Chinese Patent Law or that
of other countries. The No. 5543197 American patent on which the foreign companies’ threat based actually
is an illusory patent and would be invalidated legally. This association has set forth it, and these foreign
companies should have waked up to it before their allegation of the No. 5543197 American patent as well.
Rather, it’s a pity that these foreign companies misuse the patent right knowingly by sending a number of
“notices”, alleging in bad faith that the dealers of Chinese manufacturers, exporting the bamboo products
to the USA, have constituted patent infringement, and these foreign companies have committed unfair competition.

      This association hereby seriously states that these foreign companies should stop the unfair intimidating
conduct. This association and entities concerned retains the right to take legal actions.

                                                         Zhang Qisheng

                                                          President of

                                  Bamboo Sector Committee under CNFPIA

                                                        March 27, 2007