Two affiliates of Solvay have filed a patent infringement lawsuit in England and Wales against the UK’s Molycorp Chemicals and Oxides (Europe). The lawsuit was filed by Rodia Operations and Anan Kasei on Apr. 13, and comes less than five months after the Belgian firm won two cases against the same company in a German court in March. Molycorp has appealed the verdicts.

This time, Solvay has claimed infringement against Anan Kasei’s patent EP 1435338, which covers certain high surface-area ceric oxides and catalysts for purifying automotive exhaust gases containing ceric oxide. Rare earth oxides are used in applications including the manufacturing of automotive catalysts to abate noxious gases from engine exhaust.