Manufacturing Expert Opines On Polymer Patent Dispute

Case Overview

This case involves a patent infringement dispute between two major beverage can manufacturers. One of the companies, a leading manufacturer of polymeric coatings applied to the inside of beverage cans to protect the beverage from the metal, was accused of infringing on the patented polymer coating of one of its younger competitors. An expert with experience in the can industry was sought to help counsel understand the application of the coatings on a production line, including the ideal characteristics of coatings and the tests run to assess their quality.

Questions to the Product Liability expert and their responses

What experience do you have with can manufacturers and/or beverage companies?

I am very familiar with how many beverage companies qualify coatings. In the global supply chain, we couldn't just rely on one supplier, so we would test and approve multiple coatings. Soft drink companies tend to use a heavier coating than beer companies because sodas are more acidic. The end customer would have to approve coatings for can manufacturers to use them.

What features would you look for and what tests would you perform when evaluating polymeric coatings from the major manufacturers?

We would do stability testing and we would require manufacturers (under NDAs) to disclose the coating constituents for our food safety teams.

About the expert

This packaging technology expert has over 35 years of experience in the CPG package development industry, including 20+ years across two stints with Coca-Cola. He earned a BS in Mechanical Engineering with focus on Material Sciences from Union College and then began his career as a Staff Engineer with GE before joining Coca-Cola in 1977. Over the course of 13 years, he worked as a Corporate Packaging Engineer, a Packaging Manager in Northern Europe, and the Principle Engineer of Corporate & USA Packaging for Coke. He left the company in 1990 but rejoined in 2005 as the Principal Engineer for Global Packaging Platforms. In this capacity, the expert led R&D for an aluminum bottle and created new packaging concepts. He now works as a consultant and provides technical support to packaging clients.

E-127900

Specialties:

Product Liability

Victoria Negron has extensive experience in journalism and thought leadership in the legal space, with a background crafting content, whitepapers, webinars, and current event articles pertaining to the role of expert witnesses in complex litigation matters. She is a skilled professional specializing in B2B product marketing and content marketing. Currently, she serves as an Enterprise Product Marketing Manager at Postman, and previously held the position of Technical Product Marketing Manager at Palantir Technologies, where she developed her skills in launch strategies, go-to-market strategy, and competitive analysis.

Her expertise in content marketing was further refined during her tenure at the Expert Institute, where she progressed from a Marketing Writer to Senior Content Marketing Manager, and eventually to Associate Director of Content & Product Marketing. In these roles, she honed her abilities in digital marketing, SEO, content strategy, and thought leadership.

Educationally, Victoria holds a Master of Business Administration from the University of Florida - Warrington College of Business and a Bachelor of Arts in Literature, Art, and Hispanic Studies from Hamilton College. Her diverse educational background and professional experience have equipped her with a robust skill set in product marketing, content development, and strategic marketing initiatives.