Columbia Sportswear Company said the United States District Court for the District of Oregon ruled that Seirus Innovative Accessories infringed on one of Columbia’s design patents.
Columbia alleges that Seirus created its HeatWave products by copying Columbia’s patented Omni-Heat Reflective products, which have earned industry-wide acclaim.
Columbia filed the suit against Seirus in Oregon in January 2015 accusing it of willfully infringing three patents relating to Columbia’s revolutionary Omni-Heat Reflective technology. One of the three Columbia patents covers a particular design of a heat reflective material.
In his decision issued August 10, Judge Hernandez found that “The overall visual effect of the Columbia and Seirus designs are nearly identical,” and that “The striking visual similarity between Seirus’s design and Columbia’s patented design is likely to confuse an ordinary observer, and therefore, Columbia’s motion is granted.”
“We’re extremely pleased with this victory related to our Omni-Heat Reflective design patent,” said Peter Bragdon, EVP of Columbia Sportswear Company. “We are proud of the on-going investments that we make in people and research to support Columbia’s position as one of the most innovative outdoor brands in the world. Omni-Heat Reflective is just one of hundreds of patents that we will continue to defend aggressively against infringement.”
The remainder of the case, including whether Seirus willfully infringed the other two Omni-Heat Reflective patents and the damages owed to Columbia for Seirus’s patent infringement, is scheduled to go to trial in April 2017.
Columbia Sportswear is represented by Nika Aldrich, David Axelrod and Scott Eads of Schwabe, Williamson & Wyatt.
