On January 19, Russian steelmaker Severstal's subsidiary Severstal North America announced that it has achieved a favorable decision in a patent infringement lawsuit brought against the company by ArcelorMittal France and ArcelorMittal Atlantique et Lorraine, two subsidiaries of the global steel giant ArcelorMittal.
The suit accused Severstal 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 Severstal's part occurred.
As SteelOrbis previously reported, AK Steel was also part of the case and was also deemed to have committed no infringement, following the case decision dated January 14, 2011.
Consequently, both countries will be able to sell the product, effective from the date of the decision.