Keep your eye on the ball

The dispute within the crane spreader industry over rights to expanding twinlift spreaders may be coming to a head. Several companies have challenged the exclusivity claimed by Stinis and Bromma, such as NatSteel and Paceco Corp, who have argued independently that an idea cannot be monopolised, particularly when is not new in any case (WorldCargo News, January 2001, pp27-28 and May 2001, p2). It also transpires that Smits Spreader Systems in Holland has appealed to the EU Patent office in Munich. Smits is guarded but seems to be optimistic. Meanwhile, it is clear that ZPMC wants to enter this market.

When it announced its license agreement with Stinis, Bromma stated that the Stinis patent protected "the concept of an expandable twin-20 spreader rather than a particular spreader design or model." This solved its problem with Stinis, but opened up a new can of worms and, in hindsight, was probably not the best way to proceed....