ALMELO, NETHERLANDS--(Marketwire - Jul 12, 2012) - The district court in The Hague has ruled against FieldTurf Tarkett Inc. and associated companies in a lawsuit brought by TenCate. The court has prohibited FieldTurf Tarkett and these companies from using the name Revolution for synthetic turf, because this name infringes the trademark Evolution™ of TenCate Grass. This ban will apply throughout the EU subject to payment of a penalty.

TenCate Grass and FieldTurf Tarkett have had a longstanding business relationship, in which FieldTurf Tarkett, with the consent of TenCate, exclusively made use of the trademark Evolution™ of TenCate Grass. In November 2009 TenCate Grass terminated the contractual relationship with FieldTurf Tarkett, because FieldTurf Tarkett, in violation of the agreement, had developed a synthetic turf fibre of its own. Shortly thereafter FieldTurf Tarkett introduced this fibre under the name Revolution.

The court is with TenCate of the opinion that this may result in confusion and that customers might believe that they are dealing with a TenCate product. In this regard the court believes that it is of importance that TenCate and FieldTurf Tarkett have had a long - exclusive - relationship. For this reason the court prohibited the use of the name Revolution in all countries of the European Community subject to a penalty.

TenCate is known in the market as an innovative producer of high quality components (yarns and backing) for synthetic turf systems and grants customers express consent to use both the trademark of TenCate® and its registered product trademarks. Abuse or unauthorized use of trademarks will be contested, in part by virtue of protection of the customers and end-users of TenCate.

The TenCate Evolution™ fibre has been incorporated in the synthetic turf system of amongst others two premier league football clubs in the Netherlands using an innovative, patented weaving technique of TenCate Grass.

 Royal Ten Cate Almelo, the Netherlands, Thursday 12 July 2012 

TenCate Grass is a world leader in the development, production and marketing of synthetic turf components and the designing of synthetic turf systems for top-flight sports, recreation and landscape projects. Together with its business partners TenCate Grass pursues an integrated system approach. This gives users confidence in playing characteristics, service life and durability. TenCate Grass has production facilities in North America, Europe and the Middle East.

Royal Ten Cate (TenCate) is a multinational company which combines textile technology with related chemical processes and material technology in the development and production of functional materials with distinctive characteristics. Products of TenCate are sold worldwide. Systems and materials from TenCate come under four areas of application: safety & protection, space & aerospace, infrastructure & the environment, and sport & recreation. TenCate occupies leading positions in protective fabrics, composites for space and aerospace, antiballistics, geosynthetics and synthetic turf. TenCate is listed on the NYSE Euronext (AMX).

Press release as PDF: [ http://hugin.info/130798/R/1626197/520223.pdf ]

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Source: Koninklijke Ten Cate NV via Thomson Reuters ONE

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