EZ Moves Furniture Slide Maker Sues For Patent Inf
Larimer, PA, Oct. 6--Simtec Company, manufacturer of EZ Moves Furniture Slides, has filed a lawsuit against Shepherd Hardware Products LLC, a hardware products manufacturer, for infringement of Simtec's utility and design patents covering furniture slides.
The complaint further claims unfair competition in Shepherd's confusingly similar product packaging and in-store merchandising, and copyright infringement for Shepherd's alleged use of Simtec's English and Spanish language instructions for the products. Simtec Co. seeks an injunction against Shepherd, a recall of the infringing products, as well as an accounting of damages and profits.
Simtec Co. is a family-owned, closely held company that was started more than ten years ago by a father-son team of carpet installers. They saw a need for a faster, easier way to move furniture and invented and patented several design versions of the EZ Moves furniture slides. In January 2001, Simtec Co. began to sell the patented EZ Moves II furniture slides and the EZ Moves Permanent furniture slides (first sold under the name EZ Moves P3 furniture slides) to retail chains. These products have also been sold on QVC Television Network.
In the complaint, Simtec Co. claims that Shepherd introduced knock-offs under the name SLIDEGLIDES II, which allegedly infringes upon the patented structure of Simtec's EZ Moves II furniture slides and design patent of EZ Moves Permanent Slides.
The complaint also claims Shepherd printed instructions that were almost 100% identical to Simtec's English instructions and Spanish instructions.
The suit claims the SLIDEGLIDES II packaging is confusingly similar and almost identical in appearance, layout, size, and shape to the packaging for Simtec's EZ Moves II and the smaller EZ Moves Permanent Slides.
