The Australian-based PTC automation company Nic-In Systems® announces that it maintains its patent right in Europe.
A patent challenge procedure
According to Nico van Rooijen of Nic-In Systems, the European patent of their system was challenged 2,5 years ago, leading to consultations and a hearing at the Unified Patent Court (UPC). The UPC is a common patent court of 17 member states of the European Union.
"During the hearing at the UPC on January 17, 2024, the Nic-In patent ultimately was upheld. Subsequently, the ruling was challenged, but the challenge was withdrawn. It was an interesting exercise, where the veracity of the patent claims was tested in every way possible and ultimately decided. The whole challenge procedure was very transparent," Van Rooijen comments.
The 'Nic-In System'
The 'Nic-In System' is designed to facilitate the automated transplanting of tissue cultures. The system consists of automatic transplanters, and rectangular containers made of recyclable plastic. Van Rooijen: "The system is unique in that the transplanter grabs the plug of agar, instead of grabbing the delicate tissue culture and possibly causing some bruising.
It transplants the tissue culture complete with the plug of agar, so the newly transplanted tissue culture can still access the food source in the agar, while it grows root hairs and can start feeding from the soil. This system greatly reduces any transplant shock. Moreover, the system contributes to efficient shipping while also preventing dislodging and damaging the cultures during transport."
Automation
"Our system is suitable for multiple horticultural branches including the ornamental, fruit, and cannabis sectors. "The Covid-19 pandemic has shown that a reliable workforce cannot been taken for granted. For that reason, I think that automation is crucial, especially in light of recent developments in AI. The urgency to automate may differ per region, but I think that labour shortages are a widespread phenomenon. We supply to companies all over the world including the USA, the Netherlands, and Turkey."
"We are happy that our patent is no longer challenged, and that we can again just concentrate on servicing our customers and helping new customers to implement Nic-In Systems in their tissue culture production and the automated transplanting in the nurseries," Van Rooijen concludes.
For more information: 
Nic-In Systems
461 Heatherton Road
Clayton South VIC 3169
Australia
+61 (0)3 9511 2006
[email protected]
nicinsystems.com