U.S.I.T.C Institutes Unfair Competition Investigation of Imported Flocked Swabs and Kits

BRESCIA, Italy, Sept. 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- On Friday, August 27, 2021, the United States International Trade Commission instituted an unfair importation investigation, conducted pursuant to 19 U.S.C. § 1337, against several manufacturers and distributors of imported flocked swabs and products containing the flocked swabs. The investigation is entitled In the Matter of Certain Flocked Swabs, Products Containing Flocked Swabs, and Methods of Using Same, No. 337-TA-1279.

In the complaint, Copan Italia S.p.A. and its Puerto Rico based manufacturing subsidiary alleged that the accused devices and products infringe several of its U.S.-issued patents, and requested an exclusion order against the named respondents, as well as a general exclusion seeking an order directing U.S. Customs to stop the infringing imports from entering the United States. Copan's founder, Daniele Triva, invented flocked swabs, and this critically important patented technology led to major advancements in the collection of biological specimens and automated laboratory systems. Copan has made a significant investment in the expansion of its U.S. facilities, and its domestic production capacity, and has created hundreds of jobs in the United States and Puerto Rico. Stefania Triva, Copan Group CEO and President, stated, "We are so proud to have pioneered this technology, and, over the last two decades, Copan has made a massive commitment to developing and commercializing these groundbreaking products. We are equally committed to the zealous protection of our intellectual property rights, as well as our existing community of licensees." 

About COPAN

With a reputation for innovation, COPAN is the leading manufacturer of collection and transport systems in the world. COPAN's collaborative approach to pre-analytics has resulted in Flocked Swabs, ESwab™, UTM Universal Transport Medium®, and laboratory automation, WASP® and WASPLab®. COPAN carries a range of microbial sampling products, inoculation loops, and pipettes. For more information, visit www.copangroup.com 

SOURCE COPAN Group