Rotating plug creates patent spat with China - Case centres over NDAs - and countries

By Mike Magee @ Thursday, May 15, 2008 11:18 AM

Section - PCs/Unusual

A firm called Intelliglobe started a legal action in Utah alleging plaintiffs breached a patent it claims it owns which allows two plugs to fit into the same rotating socket.

Plaintiffs in the case - Electrical 360 and Intelliglobe, are suing Shui Hung Chong, O Yat - a Chinese corporation, Go-2 from Utah, and a number of individuals, alleging they stole patent numbers 7,125,256 and 7,121,834 .

Intelliglobe said that the invention came when Ms Gerard, the founder of the company developed a working rotating power outlet which allowed two oversized plugs to fit into a traditional socket.

She left a job in the oil business to devote her energies to develop this product and contacted Go-2, which the suit alleges, had a partner in China with the manufacturing capabilities needed for her product. She made Go-2 and other defendants sign non-disclosure agreements to protect her intellectual property.

But Shui Hung Chong claimed he invented 'a socket with rotatable socket core', issued as patent number 7,214,102.
Intelliglobe alleges that after the plaintiffs showed confidential information to Go-2, Go-2 showed the information to O Yat.
O Yat is alleged to have made applications for Peoples' Republic of China patents for this invention. Intelliglobe alleges that the O Yat company said 360 Electrical had to use its factories to make products, otherwise it would be sued for infringing its patents.
Intelliglobe wants the court to make a declaratory statement preventing the Chon 102 patent from being a valid patent. X