Crown wins SuperEnd patent battle
upheld Crown's European SuperEnd beverage end patent.
Crown Holdings has announced that the European Patent Office has upheld Crown's European SuperEnd beverage end patent (EP 0 828 663 B1), with slight modification, against an opposition lodged by a competitor.
The EPO Opposition Division upheld claims covering Crown's commercial SuperEnd beverage ends and its proprietary seaming technology. This decision protects this proprietary technology for Crown and its licensees. The EPO's decision will become final unless overturned upon appeal. Additional protections through improvements to the base SuperEnd technology are pending in Europe and globally.
Crown's can end is said to offer both significant performance features for consumers and cost advantages for Crown's customers. "Consumer preference and a 10 per cent material savings have positioned SuperEnd as the new global benchmark for beverage ends," said John Conway, Crown's CEO.
These advantages have resulted in the rapid introduction of the packaging, with over 12 billion beverage ends in commerce around the globe. Adding to this worldwide success, Crown's can end will shortly be launched by Crown in Europe and by Crown's licensee Amcor in Australia and New Zealand.
Crown Holdings is a leading supplier of packaging products to consumer marketing companies around the world. World headquarters are located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
