Solvay has filed a lawsuit in a Beijing court against Chinese company Beijing Tiangang Auxiliary Co. for infringing its patent on Cyasorb THT light stabilizer.

The Belgian specialty chemicals company said it is suing on behalf of its wholly owned subsidiary Cytec Industries and its Polymer Additives business unit following a lengthy investigation.

In the lawsuit, which is seeking injunctive relief, damages and attorneys’ fees, Solvay said the manufacture and sale of Tiangang’s T-68 light stabilizer violates the patent for its flagship Cyasorb THT product line, and it has had this verified by independent laboratory analysis.

Solvay said it approached Tiangang several months ago to resolve the matter amicably but the Chinese firm “refused to engage in a substantive dialogue.” Consequently, Solvay said it has been forced to rely on the Chinese courts to protect its patent rights.

“While we welcome competition, we have zero tolerance for companies that infringe our intellectual property,” said Domenico Romanino, senior vice president of Polymer Additives. “Protecting patents is in everyone’s best interest as it ensures fairness and a level playing field for all market participants.”

As an innovative company, Solvay will not hesitate to leverage its patents when necessary since these are the vehicles that promote invention and, ultimately, the development of new products that bring benefit to our customers around the world,” Romanino added.

Solvay has defended and won several patent infringement cases in China in recent years, notably relating to rare earth oxides used in automotive catalysts.