EPE, Netherlands—Dutch tire machinery company VMI Group has taken “enforcement actions” against new incidents of “blatant infringement” of its model protection and patents, the company said in a news release. Most of the alleged violations are being done in China, it said.
“VMI will take all steps necessary to make these offenders face the legal consequences of their illegal acts,” the company said in a statement.
“Many of the VMI innovations are protected by patents worldwide, and when these are infringed upon, VMI's strategy is to bring offenders to court to have them face legal consequences.”
Intellectual property theft not only would damage its commercial interests, but it also could have a strong impact on the industry, VMI added.
“Inferior products that are sold may result in manufacturing downtime or otherwise damage the interest of customers,” said CEO Harm Voortman in a statement.
In August 2014, Chinese law enforcement officials raided Shangjun Plastic and Rubber, which VMI Group accused of making tire-building drums that infringe on its patents.
VMI reported in April 2015 that it had won the case against the Chinese company following the raid and investigations.