The subject of the trial was the German part of the registered European patent EP 3 001118 B1 held by Bestway® Inflatables & Material Corp., China. The patent protects an improved so-called "Positive Temperature Coefficient (PTC) heater". This type of heater unit is used in pumps for inflating and heating hot tubs & spas. The publication of the Patent’s grant took place on 6th May, 2020.
According to the preliminary injunction of the German District Court Hamburg dated April 19, 2021, Jilong (i.e. Jiangsu Jilong Sport and Leisure Products Co., Ltd., Jilong Leisure Products Europe Ltd., Shanghai Jilong Sports and Leisure Products Co., Ltd, Shanghai Jilong Plastic Products Co., Ltd and Shanghai Jilong Economy Development Co., Ltd.) is no longer allowed to offer, put on the market and/or use or import or possess for said purposes infringing products in Germany that contain a PTC heater as protected by the Bestway® Patent, such as the inflatable SPA pool “Venice” of the “Avenli” series. The preliminary injunction is currently officially served upon the relevant entities of the Jilong group in China and Ireland. The decision can be appealed.
"We are very pleased with the outcome of this case," said Malte Ohnesseit, General Manager at Bestway® Germany Ltd. "The verdict proves that intellectual property has a high value in our society. As a traditional company we want to represent the original. We are very proud of our years full of product research as well as our patent innovations."
Any official statement by Jilong in view of the grant of the preliminary injunction is not available to date.