Fianium, NKT settle suit

Southampton, UK and Birkeroed, Denmark--Fiber laser manufacturers Fianium and NKT Photonics (with its brand Crystal Fibre) have announced settlement of their UK patent dispute. The legal dispute concerned two patents relating to the processing of photonic crystal fiber ("PCF"), which is used by both companies in their products. According to a statement issued by Fianium, the English Patents Court agreed that Fianium's current PCF manufacturing processes do not infringe on Crystal Fibre's patents. Under the settlement, Fianium will make a nominal payment regarding a small number of lasers produced with alternative PCF manufacturing techniques and agrees to avoid future use of these alternatives. Both parties contribute to each others’ costs.Despite his confidence regarding the outcome of the upcoming trial, Fianium CEO, Anatoly Grudinin stated, “To a pragmatic businessman it was clear that a settlement now, which we consider was positive for Fianium on all significant matters, was the best choice, not least in that it allows us to concentrate fully on what we do best - developing advanced laser technology.” He continued, “Fianium respects IP [intellectual property], and welcomes the rational resolution of disputes, but we cannot just be dictated to. That is why we litigated for over a year, with a much larger opponent, to establish that there is no monopoly regarding the manufacture of PCF for our products.”The company said that it considers the real winners to be its customers, who will continue to have access to supercontinuum technology based on Fianium’s state-of-art PCF manufacturing techniques.“We are very pleased with the outcome and we remain fully committed to protecting our intellectual property portfolio,” said Jakob Skov, CEO of NKT Photonics A/S in a press release. “In our view, photonic crystal fibers represent a key platform for photonics applications, such as supercontinuum systems and high-power lasers. In recent years we have seen a rapid growth in PCF based fiber and component sales demonstrating commercial success for our OEM customers.”For more information, please visit: www.fianium.com or www.nktphotonics.comPosted by Steve Andersonwww.laserfocusworld.com