By Alex MacDonald
LONDON--Steel company ArcelorMittal (MT) won a U.S. court appeal
ruling Friday that upheld its Usibor patent as applicable not only
to hot-rolled steel but cold-rolled steel for hot stamping, the
company said late Monday.
The company said the decision confirms that its patent wasn't
limited to hot-rolled steel and sets aside a Jan. 14 Delaware court
ruling that partly invalidated the patent as it pertained to
aluminium precoated steel products for hot stamping.
"ArcelorMittal is pleased with the decision confirming its
patent rights for this innovative technology and will continue to
vigorously enforce and defend its patent rights against any
potential infringement moving forward," an ArcelorMittal
spokeswoman said in a statement.
ArcelorMittal produces Usibor steel for the U.S. automotive
industry at its operations in Indiana. Usibor steel is mainly
intended for structural and safety parts in vehicles and, according
to ArcelorMittal's website, meets all the requirements of a lighter
vehicle. It was designed to be heat-treated and tempered during the
hot-stamping operations, the steelmaker said.
Write to Alex MacDonald at alex.macdonald@dowjones.com
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