LiquiGlide Lays Legal Groundwork for Global Commercialization

CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Sept. 10, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- LiquiGlide Inc. today announced it has initiated international patent filings to protect the intellectual property (IP) of its liquid-impregnated surface technology. Protecting LiquiGlide's unique IP globally is a top priority as the company looks to swiftly commercialize internationally. The international patent filing is directly related to United States Patent 8,574,704 – granted to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) by the U.S. Patent Office. MIT currently holds two patents for the slippery coating technology with more than a dozen pending, and LiquiGlide, Inc. is the sole commercial entity with exclusive licensing rights.

The '704 patent was originally granted in November 2013, and describes the company's unique method for creating permanently wet slippery surfaces by stably trapping liquids in a matrix of solid, micro-scale engineered features – reducing friction for viscous liquids moving across treated surfaces. In addition to the liquid-impregnated surfaces patent, MIT has also been granted United States Patent 8,535,779 for self-lubricating surfaces for food packaging and food processing equipment, which relates to LiquiGlide's practical, non-toxic applications for sticky foods like peanut butter and mayonnaise.

As part of LiquiGlide's international patent strategy, the company filed an international patent application under the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT), in relation to the '779 patent in order to seek protection of its IP in 148 countries. As a result of that application, the European Patent Office (EPO) acting as the International Searching Authority (ISA) has conducted a patent search and issued an International Search Report (ISR), which did not identify any references that would preclude patentability of LiquiGlide's non-toxic coating technology. This is a major milestone in LiquiGlide's initiative to protect its unique IP.

"It's critical that we take steps to protect our IP, and we're making that investment now as an important step toward global commercialization," said LiquiGlide CEO and Co-Founder, Dave Smith. "We know we have something special; LiquiGlide is the only commercially viable solution for creating permanently wet slippery surfaces," continued Smith. "We have a global-reaching technology with immense potential and broad applications. We believe not only will LiquiGlide become an industry standard for consumer goods, but it will have immense implications far beyond the packaging sector, including eliminating waste, enabling innovation and even saving lives."

LiquiGlide's moves to expand IP protection for its innovative technology come as global interest in the company's coatings continues to increase. LiquiGlide currently has more than 30 international clients, including clients in France, Germany, Japan, Norway, South Africa, the U.K. and the United States.

• To learn more about LiquiGlide's platform technology, visit: http://liquiglide.com/tech/.
• To see videos of LiquiGlide's technology in action, visit: http://liquiglide.com/videos/.
• To learn more about LiquiGlide, please visit www.liquiglide.com, contact us online or via email at [email protected].

About LiquiGlide
LiquiGlide Inc. is the first company to create permanently wet slippery surfaces. What the wheel was to transportation, LiquiGlide is to liquids – it changes how liquids move. From oil and gas, to better packaging for consumer goods, to high-tech medical equipment, LiquiGlide's technology allows viscous liquids to move easily. Using its patented platform, LiquiGlide can create custom coatings that work and are safe across countless consumer and industrial applications.

LiquiGlide was founded in 2012 to commercialize the intellectual property of U.S. patents for the liquid-impregnated surface technology issued to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). MIT has two current patents and more than a dozen pending related to this technology, and LiquiGlide is the exclusive license holder. www.liquiglide.com

Contact:

Mark Daly
Davies Murphy Group
[email protected] 
(781) 418-2411

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SOURCE LiquiGlide, Inc.