Arbitrator Compels Unilever Subsidiary To Assign Patent.

New York, NY. An American Arbitration Association arbitrator has awarded M&A's client, M. J. Woods Inc. of North Carolina, a U.S. patent originally held by Conopco, Inc., a subsidiary of Unilever, and the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York has entered judgment affirming the arbitrator's decision.

     The patent relates to M. J. Woods' invention of a folded-handle laminated pad used for nail, cosmetic and other purposes in the beauty, mass retail and medical industries.

     M. J. Woods and Conopco previously had entered into a license agreement regarding M. J. Woods's U.S. patents, but Conopco later terminated that agreement, claiming it had no interest in developing the product.  M. J. Woods later discovered that Conopco had secretly filed and prosecuted a U.S. patent application on a competitive product.

    In awarding the patent, the arbitrator found that Conopco employees had been deceptive in their dealings with M. J. Woods during the earlier licensing relationship and that Woods was legitimately concerned with the truthfulness of Conopco's claim that it did not intend to market the product.