An incredibly complex mechanical writing instrument not of this world

Case No. O2015_018 ¦ Main hearing of 13 March 2018

UPDATE 13 March 2018:

I have added some notes from the hearing below.

The FPC today published an announcement of the main hearing in this matter. The parties apparently have locked jaws about an invention relating to a mechanical writing instrument.

It started off with Guenat‘s request that Swiss Finest‘s CH 704 790 B1 be declared invalid; note that the patent has been limited in March 2017 and re-published as CH 704 790 C1, see Swissreg for further bibliographic details.

The plaintiff argued that the invention had been made by Frédéric Garinaud, an independent inventor who had applied for a European patent for this invention. The application has then been assigned to the plaintiff and a patent was granted; EP 2 479 648 B1, see Swissreg and European Patent Register for further bibliographic details.

Defendant countersued and requested that EP’648 be declared invalid, or assigned to the defendant. Interestingly, defendant argues that the invention had been made by Frédéric Garinaud when he had been working for the defendant. (Note, however, that Mr Garinaud is not mentioned as an inventor on CH’790.)

In addition, defendant requests injunctive relief for the product ‘Mechanical Fountain Pen RMS05‘.

Fountain Pen RMS05 by Richard Mille

This product has some amazing mechanics; see yourself:

Even more amazing is the price tag of $105,000 (as reported by Bloomberg and others).

The hearing will be in French language, and it will be a real ‘town hall’ meeting: The venue this time is not the Federal Administrative Court in St. Gallen, but rather the Hôtel de Ville de Neuchâtel.

Reported by Martin WILMING

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Case No. O2015_018 ¦ Main hearing of 13 March 2018

Guenat SA Montres Valgine ./.  Swiss Finest SA

CH 704 790 B1

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CH 704 790 C1

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EP 2 497 648 B1

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ANNOUNCEMENT

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NOTES FROM THE HEARING

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