McGuireWoods Wins Patent Infringement Trial

August 22, 2022

McGuireWoods successfully defended client Belvac Production Machinery in a patent infringement lawsuit over technology the company manufactures that is used in the making of aluminum beverage cans. Belvac is a global leader in the design and manufacturing of aluminum can equipment.

After a two-week trial in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Virginia, a jury on July 8, 2022, determined that Belvac’s can-making technology did not infringe on patents asserted by the plaintiff, Crown Packaging Technology. The dispute involved high-speed “necking” machines that can manufacturers use to reduce the diameter at the top of beverage cans.

McGuireWoods’ Richmond trial team in Crown Packaging Technology Inc., et al. v. Belvac Production Machinery Inc. included partners Brian Riopelle and David Finkelson, counsel George Davis and associate Matt Rosendahl, all members of the firm’s IP Litigation & Transactions Department.

“We are pleased the jury carefully considered the facts and determined that Belvac did not infringe on Crown’s patents,” Riopelle said. “This was an important victory for our client and I am proud of the tremendous effort by everyone on our legal team.”

McGuireWoods’ intellectual property practice represents clients from virtually every sector of the global economy, providing comprehensive solutions to help individuals and companies develop and protect creative, technological and business innovations. The firm earned a national Tier 1 ranking for patent litigation in the 2022 edition of U.S. News-Best Lawyers’ “Best Law Firms.”

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