VARTA AG has reached a settlement with one of its competitors, the Chinese battery producer Guangdong Mic-Power New Energy Co., Ltd. (“Mic-Power”). The agreement concludes one of the German technology company’s long-running litigations involving some of VARTA’s patents on its CoinPower lithium-ion button cell batteries and Mic-Power patents covering its coin cell batteries. VARTA produces these cells in Germany exclusively and is the main supplier to most premium TWS headsets manufacturers. The company has taken up legal actions in the biggest markets for TWS based on claims that its patents have been violated. The settlement demonstrates VARTA’s commitment to protect its investment in R&D and intellectual property, and its role as a global leader in innovation in lithium-ion technology.
The settlement includes the dismissal of all patent litigations globally between the parties, and a commitment by both parties to resolve all future patent disputes related to these technologies globally in mediation proceedings. The specific terms of the settlement remain confidential.
According to Rainer Hald, CTO of VARTA AG: “The settlement is a great achievement. We were able to resolve a dispute involving our CoinPower technology, which represents a break-through advance especially for the True Wireless Stereo Headset industry. We have secured our investment with strong patents and have taken measures to defend them, and will continue to do so in the future.”
The settlement came in advance of a scheduled patent infringement trial against Mic-Power in Texas and followed the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office’s decisions regarding a number of VARTA U.S. patents Mic-Power and its customers had challenged. Litigation in Germany and China has also been ended as a result of this settlement.