PR85983

SEOUL, South Korea, Oct. 8, 2020 /PRNewswire=KYODO JBN/ --

The toy brand Mecard, which is developed with proprietary technology owned by

Korean toy company Choirock Contents Factory Co., Ltd., won a complete victory

in all of the global patent disputes against Spin Master, Ltd., a Canadian

global toy company.

Logo - https://photos.prnasia.com/prnh/20201007/2942563-1LOGO

In 2018, Spin Master sued a US toy company, Mattel, Inc., in the United States,

Canada, Australia, etc., alleging that Mecard toys infringed Spin Master's

"Bakugan" patents. Mattel was distributing Mecard toys in those countries

through its license obtained from Choirock. But Mecard's entrance into the

global market have been obstructed by Spin Master's lawsuits.  

In March 2019, in response to Spin Master's lawsuits, Choirock filed inter

partes review petitions before the United States Patent Trial and Appeal Board

(PTAB), challenging validity of Spin Master's three US "Bakugan" patents. Spin

Master alleged that Mecard infringed these three patents. In September 2020,

the PTAB ruled that all of the challenged claims of each "Bakugan" patent are

unpatentable. It is very rare for the PTAB to invalidate all of the challenged

claims of multiple family patents as it did in this instance. By confirming

that Spin Master's "Bakugan" patents lack patentability because they are

nothing more than previously developed or known toy technologies, these rulings

provided a complete victory to Choirock.

Prior to these rulings, an Italian Court (EU) and the Supreme Court of China

also ruled that Spin Master's EU patent is unpatentable and that "Mecard" toys

do not infringe Spin Master's Chinese patent, respectively. In particular, the

Milano Court of Italy held that core claims of Spin Master's EU patent that

resemble those used by Spin Master in other litigations were unpatentable.

Likewise, Choirock won a patent infringement lawsuit brought by Spin Master in

the Supreme Court of China. This victory in China confirmed that the "Mecard"

patents have their own originality and creativity completely different from

those of the "Bakugan" patents. Accordingly, Choirock has successfully cleared

away all of the obstacles relating to Spin Master's "Bakugan" patents in its

global business for the "Mecard" toys.  The "Mecard" toys employ an unique

mechanism that transforms a toy by lifting up a card whereby the bottom surface

of the card is exposed.  This mechanism is the first of its kind in the world.

Choirock owns intellectual property rights associated with the "Mecard" toys.

Choirock announced that "based on our victory in the Spin Master disputes,

which had obstructed the company's business, the company will meet and discuss

with various partners around the world to accelerate re-launch of the Mecard in

the global market. Choirock stated that "the company will continue to

strengthen its patents for the Mecard toys with respect to their unique

mechanism of exposing the bottom surface of a card when transforming." Choirock

further stated that "like the Spin Master disputes, the company will take

strong measures against any undue or wrongful assertion of infringement against

Choirock and will actively protect its own IP."

About Choirock

Choirock Contents Factory Co., Ltd. is Korea's leading content creator and

provider. Choirock is highly specialized in planning and development for toys,

animations, and licensing business and dedicated to the creation of unique and

innovative contents such as Turning Mecard(R), Dino Mecard(R), Ghost Mecard(R),

Bbasha Mecard(R), Hello Carbot(R), Hello Carbot Koong(R), Hello Carbot Mini(R),

SofyRuby(R), My Friend Koriri(R), Bite Choicar(R) among many others. Choirock

is committed to provide 'Delight To Play' for children and families. Visit us

online at www.choirockcf.com.

SOURCE:  Choirock Contents Factory Co., Ltd.