Natco and Weave Settle Dispute

By Staff -- Home Textiles Today, 3/21/2005 12:00:00 AM

Hackensack, N.J. —

Decorative fabrics designer and mill Weave Corp. said it has received payment from Natco Products of West Warwick, R.I., to settle Weave's claim of infringement of the company's pattern U12003.

Natco acknowledged that a decorative pillow it imported from China included an illegal copy of Weave's pattern.

Natco stated it was unaware that the fabric was a copy, and the fabric was selected from a vendor's offerings as it was presented to the company.

Roger Berkley, Weave president, said, “The point here is that anyone purchasing product has the obligation to do at least some minimal due diligence to ensure that no intellectual property theft has occurred. This is particularly true in light of the large numbers of intellectual property thefts by unscrupulous Chinese vendors that have happened or been alleged by U.S. companies.”

“Since Chinese copyright laws are effectively a joke,” Berkley added. “We have opted to hold their customers liable, thereby increasing the cost of doing business with dishonest suppliers.”