Vitrashop and CIL go to court

Shopfitting group CIL International has issued legal proceedings against Vitrashop Ltd, the UK subsidiary of Swiss furniture manufacturer Vitra.

Vitrashop launched a system called the Shaker Rail in February, but was asked to stop manufacturing it after allegations that certain elements infringed on CIL’s Cilplan system, already patented in over 35 countries.

Although Vitrashop agreed to stop manufacturing the elements, the company refused to withdraw its catalogue which contains the product. CIL is now seeking an injunction to prevent further distribution of the catalogue in its current form and prevent a claimed loss of earnings resulting from the publication.

CIL international marketing director Philip Morris says of Cilplan: “It has been fitted in over 2500 shops in over 50 countries. As a result of this success, many companies sought to copy the system and we have acted against them [with] 100 per cent success.

“We had hoped that litigation could be averted, but Vitrashop’s refusal to change its catalogue makes the current action unavoidable. We always act to protect our intellectual property rights.”

A Vitrashop spokeswoman declines to comment on the allegations.