The settlement relates to a judgement issued back in 2015 in favor of Solvay by the Tianjin 2nd Intermediate People’s Court and further confirmed by the Supreme People's Court. The ruling found that HySci had infringed the Belgian company’s Chinese patents and ordered it to cease producing and selling the products and pay material damages.

Rare earth oxides are used in automotive catalysts to abate noxious gases from engine exhausts. Solvay said that ever stricter air quality standards are requiring increasingly complex formulated rare earth oxides that have been developed after extensive research and innovation.

Author: Elaine Burridge, Freelance Journalist