STOCKHOLM, Sweden—The European Patent Office Board of Appeals revoked a patent owned by EIS GmbH for violating intellectual property owned by the pleasure product company Lelo. EIS, the parent company behind Satisfyer, and Lelo have been locked in a bitter legal fight over patent ownership.
The patent in question is EP3228297, titled “Pressure Waves Massage Apparatus,” and is used to document and protect the design of Satisfyer products found in its line of air pulse vibrators and derivative products. However, the Board of Appeals revoked the EIS patent, further stalling the company’s efforts to initiate legal proceedings against any wholesalers or retailers that sell pressure wave devices based on alleged patent infringement.
This is what was happening when EIS sued retailers who chose to sell Lelo products, such as Lelo’s Sona, Sila, and Enigma pressure wave devices.
“This decision confirms what Lelo believed all along: its innovative designs and technologies are distinct and original, upholding the brand’s reputation for pioneering excellence in the intimate wellness industry,” Lelo said in a statement. This decision is final and non-appealable, and applies to all member states of the European Patent Convention. This treaty governs the transnational needs of its members to streamline the process of obtaining patent protection across a large part of Europe.
These countries include Albania, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Switzerland, Cyprus, Czechia, Germany, Denmark, Estonia, Spain, Finland, France, the United Kingdom, Greece, Croatia, Hungary, Ireland, Iceland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Latvia, Monaco, North Macedonia, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Sweden, Slovenia, Slovakia, San Marino and Türkiye.
EIS GmbH did not respond to AVN’s request for comment by post time.
