BOULDER, Colo. — November 9, 2017 —  After various procedural delays related to motions filed by Columbia Sportswear, the United States District Court for the District of Colorado issued a series of orders that will allow the lawsuit filed by Cocona Inc. against Columbia Sportswear and The North Face for violating U.S. Patent No. 8,945,287 B2 to proceed in Colorado. The patent, issued to Cocona Inc. in 2015, teaches a revolutionary method for making a membrane enhanced with active particles. It replaces the inside layer of a hardshell fabric with a functional print. In the outdoor industry, this technology has been incorporated into products with a 2.5 (or two-and-a-half) layer fabric where the third fabric layer is replaced by a print layer. 2.5 layer fabrics are lighter, quieter, more compact and more comfortable than traditional three-layer hardshell fabric, so 2.5-layer material has become increasingly popular in recent years.

The 2.5-layer print technology has been around for decades. However, the traditional print layer reduced moisture vapor transmission, creating a trade-off between membrane protection and membrane performance. The use of Cocona’s patented technology changes the print layer to a truly functional print that eliminates the trade-off, drying out the microclimate and increasing the effective moisture vapor transmission rate while adding protection and dry touch to the membrane.

In November 2016, Cocona filed a lawsuit in the United State District Court for the District of Colorado, asserting the ‘287 Patent against Columbia Sportswear and The North Face (VF Outdoor LLC) for selling products enhanced with active particles in violation of Cocona’s patent rights. Cocona is aggressively pursuing litigation against both companies, and will pursue infringement cases against any other companies that violate the laws that protect Cocona’s intellectual property in the future.

Cocona’s claims of infringement have been thoroughly examined and documented by one of the worlds’ foremost forensic laboratories: Analytical Answers Inc., located in Woburn, Mass..

“Cocona is pleased, of course, that all arguments to separate, transfer, and dismiss failed to persuade the court. We prefer to create mutually beneficial business relationships with partners interested in using our proprietary technology. However, when a company is using our patented technology without permission, Cocona has no choice but to take the matter to a court of law regardless of how powerful their legal departments are.” said Jeff Bowman, CEO. “As a technology company with dozens of issued patents, we fiercely defend our intellectual property against companies that seek to exploit Cocona’s patented technologies without permission.”

Cocona had previously worked with The North Face to help them develop higher performance fabrics containing active particles. In fact, Cocona registered and owned the Flashdry® name and transferred ownership of it to The North Face when they were a customer.

Cocona licenses its proprietary technology to numerous partners throughout the apparel industry, allowing them to create and sell superior, higher-performing products. Customers who legally license this specific functional print technology include Carhartt, First Lite, Trek, Mavic, Ride, Sun Mountain and Rip Curl among others.

Posted November 9, 2017

Source: Cocona Inc.

WASHINGTON — November 9, 2017 — After months of record-setting volume as retailers stocked up for a busy holiday season, imports at the nation’s major container ports should be essentially flat this month compared with the same time last year, according to the monthly Global Port Tracker report released today by the National Retail Federation and Hackett Associates.

“The stores and warehouses are full, and it’s time for the shopping to begin,” NRF Vice President for Supply Chain and Customs Policy Jonathan Gold said. “Retailers have been bringing in merchandise since late summer, and supply is ready to meet the increased demand that has been building throughout the year.”

“At this time of year, it’s important to remember the role imports play in making the holidays affordable for American families and the millions of U.S. jobs behind every product on the shelf regardless of where it is made,” Gold said. “Our nation needs to avoid trade wars and other misguided trade policy that would drive up consumer prices or cost American workers their jobs.”

Ports covered by Global Port Tracker handled 1.76 million Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units in September, the latest month for which after-the-fact numbers are available. That was a 2.3 percent decrease from the record-setting 1.8 million TEU recorded in August, but still a 10.5 percent increase year-over-year. A TEU is one 20-foot-long cargo container or its equivalent.

October was estimated at 1.75 million TEU, up 4.9 percent from last year. While not records, the September and October numbers were among only six times that monthly volume has hit 1.7 million TEU or higher since NRF began tracking imports in 2000.

November is forecast at 1.63 million TEU, down 0.5 percent from last year, and December is forecast at 1.6 million TEU, up 2 percent.

The total for 2017 is expected to come to 20 million TEU, topping last year’s previous record of 18.8 million TEU by 6.3 percent. That compares with 2016’s 3.1 percent increase over 2015. The first half of 2017 totaled 9.7 million TEU, up 7.5 percent from the same period in 2016.

January 2018 is forecast at 1.66 million TEU, down 1 percent from January 2017; February at 1.59 million TEU, up 10.9 percent from last year, and March at 1.5 million TEU, down 2.1 percent. The February and March percentages are skewed because of changes in when Asian factories close for Lunar New Year each year.

The import numbers come as NRF is forecasting that 2017 retail sales  will grow between 3.2 and 3.8 percent over 2016 and that this year’s holiday sales will grow between 3.6 and 4 percent. Cargo volume does not correlate directly with sales because only the number of containers is counted, not the value of the cargo inside, but nonetheless provides a barometer of retailers’ expectations.

“This has turned out to be a boom year for growth in import cargo volume,” Hackett Associates Founder Ben Hackett said. “It reflects strong growth in spending by U.S. consumers.”

After a record-setting year, however, the rate of import growth is expected to slow in 2018. “We see no decline in volume and no recession – just time out for a breather,” Hackett said.

Posted November 9, 2017

Source: NRF