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Dear customers, partners, and colleagues in the industry who care about our company,
Previously, VMI Holland B.V. (hereinafter referred to as “VMI”) filed a patent infringement lawsuit inthe Intermediate People’s Court of Zhengzhou City of Henan Province against our company concerning the invention patent No. 201410624213.1 (Patent Title: Tyre tread component feeding system, hereinafter referred to as “the patent-in-suit”).VMI alleged that the LAPC series tire building machines produced and sold by our company infringed its patent rights in China, and disseminated relevant information via its official WeChat public account. To address any concerns you may have and to ensure the normal operation of our company, we hereby make the following statements regarding the subsequent developments of this case:
On April 27, 2026, the China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA) issued Examination Decision No. 611839 on the Request for Invalidation(hereinafter referred to as the “Invalidation Decision”), formally declaring the entire patent right of the patent-in-suit completely invalid.
I. Core Facts and Legal Basis
1. According to Article 47 of the Patent Law of the People's Republic of China, any patent right that has been declared invalid shall be deemed to be non-existent from the beginning. Therefore, as the entire patent right of the patent-in-suit has been declared completely invalid by CNIPA, such patent is deemed to have never had any legally valid patent right.
2. Consequently, any prior allegations of infringement, lawsuits, injunctions, or other claims based on such patent are now deprived of any legal basis and shall no longer be binding.
II. Core Guarantees to Customers
1. Your procurement or use of our relevant products shall no longer be subject to any restrictions arising from the patent-in-suit.
2. Any existing disputes or lawsuits based on such patent shall be legally terminated or dismissed.
III. Our Position and Subsequent Actions
The patent right system is designed to incentivize innovation and protect genuine technological contributions, not to allow patentees to use patents that they know are invalid as tools to suppress competitors. Now that the patent-in-suit has been declared completely invalid, and the ground for invalidation stems directly from VMI’s own publicly disclosed technology (according to the aforementioned Invalidation Decision issued by CNIPA, one of the principal pieces of evidence for the invalidation was a promotional video of VMI posted on the Youku platform on March 24, 2011), it is our view that VMI proceeded with the infringement lawsuit despite knowing that the patent-in-suit lacked a valid basis, VMI’s conduct has thus exceeded the scope of legitimate rights enforcement.
To this end, we hereby solemnly demand that VMI:
1. Immediately withdraw the infringement lawsuit based on the patent-in-suit;
2. Voluntarily withdraw the other two patent infringement lawsuits against Link-Asia, and face up to the reality that those claims lack factual and legal basis; and
3. Make an appropriate apology to our company for the damage to our business reputation caused by its improper litigation and publicity.
At the same time, we reserve all rights to hold VMI fully liable for the improper litigation described above, including but not limited to claiming damages for harm to business reputation resulting from such malicious litigation, as well as attorney’s fees and other reasonable expenses incurred in defending our rights.
IV. Subsequent Guarantee and Support
Under the applicable laws, VMI has the right to file an administrative lawsuit challenging the Invalidation Decision within three months from the date of receiving such Decision. Our company will continue to monitor any subsequent administrative litigation matters concerning this patent, track and keep you promptly informed of relevant developments.
Once again, we extend our sincere gratitude to our customers, partners, and friends from all sectors of society for your long-standing trust and support for Link-Asia. Our company will continue to pursue independent research and development, and through technological innovation and compliant operations, we will provide you with even better products and services.
This statement is hereby made.
Link-Asia Smart Technology (Suzhou) Co., Ltd.
April 27, 2026
