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.
Manufacturing Expert Opines On Polymer Patent Dispute
Question(s) For Expert Witness
- 1. What experience do you have with can manufacturers and/or beverage companies?
- 2. What features would you look for and what tests would you perform when evaluating polymeric coatings from the major manufacturers?
Expert Witness Response E-127900

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