Butamax Responds to Frivolous Allegations of Patent Infringement
14-Sep-2011
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WILMINGTON, Del. - Butamax™ Advanced Biofuels, LLC today responded to the announcement that Gevo has received two patents from the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) and sued Butamax™ for alleged patent infringement, a press release by the company stated.
“Gevo’s lawsuit against Butamax is baseless and irresponsible” said Paul Beckwith, CEO of Butamax™. “When Butamax makes isobutanol, we do not use the technology claimed in the Gevo patents. We are so confident about this, that we offered Gevo an opportunity to independently verify that Butamax does not infringe either of these patents. Ignoring both our offer to verify and the facts, Gevo instead filed its lawsuit.”
Butamax’s leading isobutanol production platform falls unequivocally outside the scope of either of Gevo’s patents. Butamax plans to seek legal relief from this frivolous suit and is confident that the court’s response will address Gevo’s baseless legal maneuvering.
The Gevo patents are for a limited technology which when applied for isobutanol production are dominated by Butamax’s intellectual property and are invalid. “Gevo’s patents are based on Butamax’s technology and cannot be practiced to make isobutanol without infringing Butamax’s rights” said Peter Matrai, COO of Butamax. “Indeed, Gevo’s patents include clear evidence of Gevo’s use of Butamax’s technology and infringement.”
Butamax has been the pioneering force behind the development of renewable isobutanol. In that regard, Butamax is adding several cases to the U.S. PTO’s Green Technology Pilot Program and Butamax was awarded another patent grant today (U.S. Patent No. 8,017,364). This patent covers methods of production for butanol isomers including isobutanol.
Butamax continues its commitment to innovation as the leader in low-cost production of isobutanol to deliver maximum value to Butamax customers, partners and investors, and drive the industry forward.
Butamax™ Advanced Biofuels, LLC was formed to develop and commercialize biobutanol as a next generation renewable biofuel for the transport market.