ZYIP's lawsuit for rights protection regarding the appearance patent of Midea's water purifier

2025-11-19
I. Case Overview
This case involves ZYIP representing Midea Water Purification Company in 2021, filing a lawsuit against three competitors for infringing upon the "Water Purifier Base for the Water Dispensing Port" design patent (ZL201830231260.9). In October 2021, Midea Water Purification Company discovered that its patented product was infringed upon by "Mei Company", "Ke Company", and "Ming*** Company" through manufacturing, selling, and offering for sale. The core dispute of this case lies in whether the infringing design in question falls within the protection scope of the aforementioned design patent. The ZYIP team conducted precise professional analysis and effectively demonstrated that the infringing design is substantially similar to the authorized patent. Eventually, the Shenzhen Intermediate People's Court fully supported our demands and ruled that the three defendants must immediately cease all infringement activities and compensate the customers for economic losses. 
This case is a typical example of ZYIP providing comprehensive services for Midea, including patent agency and infringement rights protection, and successfully winning the case. Moreover, other patents of Midea handled by ZYIP have also won many cases in subsequent rights protection cases, which fully demonstrates the outstanding quality of ZYIP's patent agency services. 


II. Case Details 
1. Customer type/Industry
Midea Water Purification Company, a leading enterprise in the home appliance manufacturing industry, focuses on the research and production of water purification equipment. 


2. Customer Pain Points/Problem Description
(1) The appearance design of the core product has been copied by multiple competitors in the industry. This infringement occurs through various stages such as manufacturing, sales, and promised sales.
(2) The defendant claims that their product is neither similar nor identical to the involved patent, and there is controversy regarding the infringement determination.
(3) Professional teams are required to provide a full-process rights protection service from evidence collection to litigation representation. 


3. Solutions and Process
(1) Professional Comparative Analysis: The ZYIP law firm team immediately conducted an in-depth analysis of the stability of the involved patent and the design features of the accused infringing products. They prepared detailed visual comparison materials and precisely identified the similarities and minor differences in the designs of both parties.
(2) Core Legal Opinion: We argue that, despite the local differences such as "the shape of the water outlet rod being flat and rounded" and "the depression in the base being square and round", the accused infringing design is highly consistent with the authorized design in terms of overall structure, component proportions, and lines. These differences are local and minor, and do not have a substantive impact on the overall visual effect. Judged from the perspective of an average consumer, the two designs are similar. 


4. Case Outcome
(1) Court's Full Support: The Intermediate People's Court of Shenzhen, Guangdong Province fully accepted the legal representation of ZYIP. The first instance ruled that the infringement was established;
(2) Obtained Comprehensive Injunction: The court ordered the three defendants to immediately cease the manufacture, offer for sale, and sale of infringing products, and to destroy the inventory of infringing products as well as the dedicated molds and equipment;
(3) Awarded Economic Damages: The court ordered the three defendants to jointly compensate Midea Company for economic losses and reasonable expenses for rights protection totaling RMB 150,000. 


III. Case Significance
This case exemplifies the profound professional depth of ZYIP in the determination of infringement of design patents. Through precise legal and design analysis, the professional judgment was effectively transformed into evidence accepted by the court, successfully safeguarding the legitimate rights and interests of the rights holder. This case not only provided direct economic compensation to the innovators, but also issued a permanent injunction that directly targeted and suppressed the infringement production capacity, demonstrating the significant value of judicial protection in stimulating design innovation and regulating market competition order.
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