Editor’s Note: When reached for comment, Tanknology Inc. noted that it is not a party to the patent infringement lawsuit filed by Leighton O’Brien in the Federal Court of Australia. Tanknology Australia operates under license as an independent licensee of U.S.-based Tanknology Inc. The two companies are separate entities and Tanknology Inc. is not involved in this legal action.
Fuel analytics software and field technologies company Leighton O’Brien announced it has filed a patent infringement lawsuit against Tanknology Australia for infringing on Leighton O’Brien’s patent relating to its fuel cleaning technology. The Statement of Claim was lodged in the Federal Court of Australia.
Leighton O’Brien is seeking relief via a permanent injunction for Tanknology Australia to immediately cease using its fuel cleaning technology, and financial compensation. Leighton O’Brien CEO Reed Leighton said the filing comes after unsuccessful attempts to resolve its concerns directly with Tanknology.
“We have filed this claim for a very simple reason. We believe our intellectual property rights are being exploited and we wish to protect them,” Leighton said. “Our intellectual property is our core asset, and represents significant R&D investment. We welcome healthy competition, but we will not tolerate competitors copying our technology.
“It is necessary for our business to take this action to protect our investment that our Licensed Service Partners and customers rely on for industry-leading tank cleaning and fuel restoration,” Leighton concluded.
A rebuttal to the lawsuit can be found HERE.
