Ninestar Claims to Be Aftermarket Patent Leader

Ninestar Claims to Be Aftermarket Patent Leader

Following announcements by OEMs and aftermarket companies about the number of patents they hold, Ninestar has responded with its own portfolio size.

Claiming to lead the aftermarket sector, Ninestar holds 4,839 granted and 1,053 pending patents as at June 30, 2020.

Ruby Wei, Ninestar’s Media Specialist, told RT Media, “The enormous patent portfolio includes patents in areas such as printer technology, chip technology, ink and toner cartridge technology, ink technology and 3D printers.”

On January 6, 2021, Canon Inc. claimed it ranked third for the number of OEM patents awarded in 2020 and claimed to be the only company in the world to have ranked in the top five for 35 years in a row. As of December 8, 2020, Print-Rite said it had registered 3,002 patents globally, including invention patents, utility model patents and design patents.

According to Wei, the company invests more than 6% of its annual revenue in R&D at its nine research centers in Zhuhai, Shenzhen, Shanghai, Hangzhou, USA (North Carolina, Lexington, Kansas), India and Philippines. The company employs more than 600 engineers to design and deliver innovative products and solutions.

Since it was established in 2000, Ninestar has been committed to being innovative. Back in 2003, for example, it was the first to introduce Epson-compatible ink cartridges featuring a micro-pressure valve that eliminated the problem of wasted residual ink that would remain in the OEM’s spent ink cartridges. In 2010, it was the first third-party supplies company to become a hardware manufacturer with the release of its own line of Pantim laser printers containing its own engine technology. According to Wei, Ninestar was first to market with a solution that avoided infringing Canon’s dongle gear patent in 2014.

As an intellectual properties leader in the printing consumables industry, Ninestar has also spared no effort to defend its intellectual property rights:

• In May 2020, Ninestar won a patent-infringement lawsuit against Zhongshan Yuzhe.
• In November 2020, Ninestar helped its Australian partner to win the final appeal against OEM Seiko Epson having provided ongoing legal support for five years.
• In December 2020, Ninestar successfully safeguarded its toner cartridge patent rights in a patent dispute with Fuzhou Sixi and Shanghai Luochen.

“Thanks to its commitment to innovation, Ninestar now has the industry’s broadest product portfolio and offers a comprehensive line of both hardware and consumables,” said Wei. “As it has done for over 20 years, Ninestar will continue to grow through innovation and to ensure its partners remain competitive and profitable.”

Related:

• Canon Takes Pride in Patent Ranking
• December 28, 2020: Ninestar Wins Patent Dispute Again
• November 13, 2020: Aftermarket Calidad Beats OEM Epson in High Court
• May 15, 2020: Ninestar Safeguards its Patent Rights
  
• Print-Rite Chalks Up 3000 Global Patents
• Kilider Wins New Patent to Solve HP Problem
• Ricoh Sued for Patent Infringement by Troll
• Warmth Launches Patented Compatible Xerox Cartridges

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