West Chester, Ohio-based steel manufacturer AK Steel Corporation announced Monday that it has prevailed in a patent infringement lawsuit brought against the company by two French units of ArcelorMittal.
The suit accused AK Steel and two other steel producers of infringing upon a US patent for aluminum-coated, boron-bearing carbon steels primarily used for high-strength automotive applications. The jury found that the ArcelorMittal patent was invalid and no infringement on AK Steel's part occurred.
AK Steel said that while it has had the capability to produce the product for several years now, potential customers were concerned over the pending legal action brought by ArcelorMittal. With the conclusion of the case, AK Steel will begin offering the product immediately to customers in the US.