American floor producer Mannington Mills, Inc. has reached an agreement with Välinge related to LVT and WPC flooring with mechanical locking system, as the company said in the press release received by Lesprom Network.
Välinge’s patent portfolio for LVT and WPC products has been available to licensees for more than 10 years. In 2015, Välinge launched an Extended Patent Protection (EPP) initiative in order to offer extended IP protection to its licensees. The EPP comprises cross licenses and non-assertion undertaking with companies such as US Floors, related to WPC products including the COREtec® technology, and with Unilin, IVC and Balterio related to LVT/WPC products and technologies among others.
Mannington and Välinge have a cooperation regarding mechanical locking system for laminate and engineered wood flooring as well as for LVT and WPC products where they have a license on the 2G and 5G® Fold Down locking systems. In 2012 the parties signed a cross-license agreement giving Välinge the exclusive right to sub-license the Mannington IP related to LVT locking technology to other producers.
U.S. Mannington Mills, Inc., is one of the largest flooring companies in the US. The company is engaged in the manufacturing and marketing of residential and commercial resilient, laminate, hardwood and porcelain tile floors, as well as commercial carpet and rubber.
