Court of Justice declares Asetek patent for water cooling invalid in the Netherlands
The court in The Hague has annulled a European patent of Asetek for water cooling in the Netherlands because of lack of inventiveness. Asetek accused Cooler Master of patent infringement. The judge does not go into that.
As a result of the ruling Asetek has to reimburse the costs of Cooler Master. In total, it amounts to almost 113,000 euros. The Danish Asetek spends the case against the Netherlands-based Cooler Master Europe. Asetek stated that Cooler Master infringed his patent with the Nepton 120XL water coolers, Nepton 240M and Seidoen 120V Ver.2. Therefore, the Danish company demanded a sales stop.
In response to the charge, Cooler Master requested the court to declare the patent invalid. The company argues that it already published a so-called 'utility model' in China, which describes the operation of a water pumping engine device with chamber. According to the court, the document clearly and unambiguously describes the characteristics of a water cooling system, as also described in the Asetek European patent. The court therefore judges that the part of the patent where the Asetek is about is not new. Another part is void by the judge for lack of inventiveness.
The case concerned the patent EP 1 923 771 , filed by Asetek in November 2004 and awarded in May 2015. The European patent is based on older American patents of Asetek. The Danish Asetek has been running a legal battle with Cooler Master for years. In 2015 , a US court ruled a similar case in favor of Asetek.
Asetek patent
