PilePro Group Sues Steelwall GmbH For Unlawfully Misappropriating Intellectual Property and Business Assets

AUSTIN, Texas, Sept. 10, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- PilePro LLC and its affiliate, PilePro Sales Corporation, announced today that they have begun to prosecute a federal lawsuit in the United States against Steelwall GmbH, two former employees, and a former attorney for misappropriating valuable patent rights and substantial sums of money belonging to the PilePro Group.

 In PilePro LLC, et al v. Humphrey Chang, et al., Case No.: 1:12-cv-00829, filed in the United States District Court for the Western District of Texas on September 7, 2012, PilePro alleges that Defendants Humphrey Chang, Richard Heindl, Matthias Weigel, and Steelwall, GmbH were part of a criminal enterprise that, among other things, violated the federal Racketeering Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act ("RICO") through a series of fraudulent schemes that included wire fraud and money laundering.  Chang and Heindl are former PilePro Group employees; on September 8, 2011, a Texas court entered a preliminary injunction against Chang, prohibiting him from transferring or disclosing the PilePro Group's confidential information and trade secrets.

Among other things, the complaint alleges that, with help from certain co-conspirators, Defendants Chang, Heindl, and Weigel used false and backdated documents to assign secretly and unlawfully valuable patent rights registered in many countries throughout the world from PilePro to Contexo, AG, a Swiss corporation now under their control.  Chang, Heindl, and Weigel, according to the complaint, also misappropriated valuable patents rights currently being pursued by ArcelorMittal S.A. [NYSE: MT] in proceedings currently before the German Patent Office.  According to the complaint, Chang, Heindl, Weigel, and Steelwall, GmbH are now using the misappropriated patent rights and cash to compete unlawfully against the PilePro Group in the United States, Europe, and other parts of the world. 

Lee Wolosky, Partner at Boies, Schiller & Flexner LLP, lead counsel to the PilePro Group, remarked, "PilePro will continue to pursue individuals or entities in the United States and abroad who attempt to misappropriate its intellectual property or business assets.  PilePro will also pursue to the fullest extent of the law parties who seek to profit from, or knowingly transact business involving, stolen patents or other misappropriated business assets."

About PilePro:

PilePro is the world's only full line connector manufacturer for the steel sheet pile industry. PilePro manufactures corners and connectors for all types of sheet pile used around the world. The connectors are made to highly stringent standards that form precise, seamless connections between steel sheet pile, and other support systems, such as H-Beam, I-Beam and Pipes/Tubes. PilePro's innovative connector technology has satisfied steel sheet piling retaining wall customers since the early 1990s.  For more information about PilePro, please visit www.pilepro.com.

SOURCE PilePro LLC