Dallas, May 7, 2013 – On April 24, 2013, the Swedish Court of Appeal confirmed the validity of Pergo patent SE 526 688. This patent, which was invalidated by the Swedish 1st instance District Court in January 2012 after an invalidation claim of the company Välinge Innovation, relates to so-called fold-down flooring planks. This specific Pergo patent belongs to the Pergo patent portfolio which was acquired by Unilin’s parent company, Mohawk Industries, earlier this year.

“The patent covers the majority of the fold-down systems which are currently commercialized and run until the end of 2023 “, said Bart Van der Stockt, managing director of Flooring Industries, Unilin’s IP business unit. “Pergo has a similar patent in Germany protecting the same technology and a substantial amount of additional U.S. and European patents protecting the fold-down technology. Unilin’s IP department will continue to strengthen and enforce these patent families to support the business of the companies that entered into a license agreement on these Pergo patents”.