Recently, a US company filed a lawsuit against multiple platform sellers for patent infringement of pet toys. The products involved are mostly rubber pet chase toys, which have attracted high attention from the industry. It is reported that the core protection of this patent is the closed pulley system structure with inward sloping edges. Even if the appearance of the product is different, as long as this core structure is used, it may be deemed as infringement. Many cross-border sellers face the risks of product delisting, store freezing, and high compensation due to failure to investigate structural patents in advance. Coincidentally, the Intellectual Property Court of Hainan Free Trade Port recently concluded a rubber cat toy design patent infringement case. The court ruled that the infringement was established based on the lack of substantial differences in overall visual effects, and ordered the infringing company to immediately stop selling and compensate for losses, sounding an alarm for the domestic industry.
Industry insiders remind that the current global pet toy market is fiercely competitive, and appearance and structural patents have become the focus of brand rights protection. Structural patents are more difficult to avoid than appearance patents. With the rapid development of the rubber pet toy industry, the risk of patent infringement continues to rise. During the research and selection stage of new products, enterprises must conduct domestic and international patent infringement prevention searches, focusing on checking core technical points such as structure, appearance, and materials, adhering to independent research and innovative design, and avoiding infringement risks from the source. At the same time, it is recommended that enterprises establish an intellectual property compliance system, apply for patent layouts in a timely manner, protect their own innovative achievements, avoid disputes, and ensure the long-term stable development of enterprises.
