Kaneka bares teeth at fellow CoQ10 suppliers

In an October 29 press release, Japanese synthetics manufacturer and CoQ10 supplier Kaneka Corporation announced the filing of legal proceedings in Paris and Dusseldorf against unnamed Chinese CoQ10 suppliers and their European distributors for patent infringement. The lawsuit was initiated as part of Kaneka's "existing patent enforcement programme to enforce its proprietary rights in those countries in which its patents relating to coenzyme Q10 are in force," according to the release.

This is the second time in 2010 that Kaneka has filed a patent infringement lawsuit, and is similar to a 2009 case filed against Chinese CoQ10 suppliers Xiamen Kingdomway and Pacific Rainbow for infringement of its patent on Kaneka QH ubiquinol, a proprietary form of coenzyme Q10. The suits ended in settlements and Kingdomway and Pacific Rainbow agreed to stop selling their ubiquinol products in the United States. Whether this latest lawsuit and the 2009 case are related remains unclear, as Kaneka names no defendants in its release.