South Korean Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering (DSME) shipyard said it has won a patent case in China for its gas fuel supply system.
DSME said in its statement that a Chinese shipbuilding and offshore equipment company filed a patent invalidation complaint to the Chinese patent office (SIPO).
The company claimed that the HiVAR-FGSS technology registration should be nullified as it is not progressive and patentable, however, SIPO dismissed the claims.
DSME’s HiVAR-FGSS natural gas fuel supply system has been applied to the MAN Diesel & Turbo’s M-type, electronically-controlled, gas-injection (ME-GI) engine developed in 2011. Since its development, the engine has been deployed as main propulsion in a number of LNG carriers and other merchant marine vessels.
DSME initially registered a patent for the technology in China in March 2013 and the natural gas fuel supply system has also recognized as progressive and patentable in France in December 2014.
At the time, Cryostar, a shipbuilding marine specialist company, filed a patent invalidation complaint with the European Patent Office but was rejected, DSME’s statement reads.
The company added that it has also signed memorandums of understanding with domestic small equipment makers to transfer the patented technology in 2013, aiming to boost the competitiveness of the domestic shipbuilding industry.