A CHINESE firm has agreed to stop infringing Honeywell's refrigerant patents.
Counterfeit R410A refrigerants supplied by Shandong Huaan were seized by Italian customs authorities in Gioia Tauro, Italy on November 18, 2008.

Following this seizure of goods, Shandong Huaan has subsequently agreed not to manufacture, purchase, sell or otherwise dispose of, any products that infringe intellectual property belonging to Honeywell.

'Honeywell has a track record of inventing and developing innovative technologies for the refrigeration market and we have invested substantial resources to commercialize our innovative refrigerant technology,' said Rene Mueller, managing director for Honeywell's Fluorines business in Europe, Middle East, Africa, and India.

'We are committed to making the investments and will continue to work diligently with authorities to protect our patents from infringement worldwide', he added.

Honeywell has created a vendor program to encourage Chinese air-conditioner manufacturers to use R410A refrigerant purchased from licensed suppliers.