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Amit Mitra

Mumbai , Dec. 12

THE Germany-based Mauser Gmbh, a leading global player manufacturing rigid plastic packaging products, plans to take legal action for patent violation, against some Indian companies engaged in the manufacture of plastic containers.

The company has identified a string of companies manufacturing large plastic polycans and drums that are alleged to have been copying its patented designs, which are intended to give its products better "decantibility and stackability". The company will be taking legal action through its exclusive licensee in India, Time Packaging Ltd (TPL), against these companies under the provision of the Indian Patent Act, Design Act and other "relevant laws".

Mauser has alleged that some of the companies engaged in the production of XL-Ring narrow mouth and open mouth drums and barrels, including Silvassa-based BSA Polycontainers Ltd, Murbad-based Machinograph Polycontainers and Bangalore-based Organic Plastics Ltd, are "unauthorisedly using Mauser's patents and are thus violating the company's intellectual property."

Mauser is considered to be one of the world's largest producers of plastic, steel and fibre drums, having 13 production facilities in Germany and exclusive licensees across 50 countries. The company holds more than 500 patents and designs for their products worldwide.

Mr Anil Jain, Managing Director of TPL, said these companies are passing of their products as Mauser products and selling them at cheaper rates. "Mauser spends millions of euros in developing new processes, designs and products to meet the packaging needs of a host of industries. So naturally, the company is upset and intends to take legal action after collecting adequate data regarding the patent violations," he told Business Line.

The Rs 200-crore turnover TPL, which is the largest Mauser licensee in terms of production of big size plastic drums, produces 1.04 million plastic drums of over 200 lts each, having totally four manufacturing centres. It claims to have a market share of about 60 per cent in this segment in India.

"We produce a variety of products ranging from specially-made containers for storing hazardous chemicals to condensed milk for Nestle. The Mauser products can be used to store semi-solid, viscous, powder or liquid products," Mr Jain said.

Mauser, which is bullish on the Indian market in the light of the brisk growth in demand, intends to set up a joint venture company with TPL for introduction of its new range of products in the intermediate bulk containers (IBC) segment. "The agreement is likely to be concluded within a month," according to Mr. Jain.

This will be the first of its kind production centre as at present IBCs are mostly being imported by chemical companies. An IBC facilitates port handling as it is a square plastic container of 1,000-litre capacity with an outward steel cage.

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