Certhon Found In Favor In Proceedings Against Plantlab

Companies receive final decision in patent dispute

Is indoor farming patentable or not? That's the question at stake in a legal battle that has raged for several years between Certhon and PlantLab.

Last week, the Court of Appeal in The Hague confirmed the annulation of PlantLab's Dutch patent on their indoor farming cultivation system. This is a victory for Certhon. As the Court of Appeal has declared that the company has not infringed the patent in any way, Certhon speaks of 'a victory for the entire indoor farming sector'. In the meantime, PlantLab is holding on to the patent and is awaiting the European ruling and therefore the case is not yet closed.

PlantLab has a pending objection against the rejection of its Dutch patent. The decision on this is subject to the Technical Board of Appeal's (TKB) judgment on the validity of PlantLab's European patent. In 2017, the European Patent Office (EPO) declared the patent as valid. Objections by Certhon and others against the ruling were rejected.

Sharing knowledge
Both parties have responded to the recent court ruling. Certhon advocates transparency to push the sector forward. "The judgment of the Court of Appeal is a victory for the entire sector," Lotte van Rijn, General Manager at Certhon noted. "The ruling is a positive stimulus to further develop and optimize indoor farming across the board.

"At Certhon, we take our product development and clients very seriously. If we bring technology and plants together, the growing possibilities for our clients are endless. Optimal growing recipes, extreme water savings, grip on growth, ingredients and quality, combined with yield optimization by autonomous growing systems and robotization; that is where the added value of our systems in indoor farming lies."

John van der Sande, Chief Innovation Officer at Certhon noted, "On the one hand, we are extremely pleased with this ruling. However, on the other hand, it is a shame that these proceedings have cost so much extra effort and energy. Fortunately, with this ruling, we can continue with what we are good at. Namely, developing reliable technology to improve cultivation processes. We are only at the beginning of the enormous potential of indoor farming. We are ready to take the next steps, as this ruling strengthens us tremendously."

LED as a heating component
PlantLab says it is surprised that the court does not consider LED lights as a heating component that can be used to warm up leaves. This leads to the heart of the matter: The patent in question is about a closed environment growing system where the temperature of the cultivation system and substrate is controlled, for example lighting.

PlantLab, therefore, believes that its patent has a broad reach. "The minute you start to control the cultivation by influencing the temperature, the patent applies," they stated in 2017. It is unknown when the ruling of the TKB can be expected. After this ruling or other potential proceedings, Certhon can reinstate the case.

For more information:
Certhon
ABC Westland 555
P.O. Box 90
2685 ZH Poeldijk
The Netherlands
Tel: +31 174 22 50 80
Fax: +31 174 22 50 81
www.certhon.com

For more information:
PlantLab
info@plantlab.com
www.plantlab.com

Publication date: Wed 31 Mar 2021
Author: Rebekka Boekhout
© HortiDaily.com

IGrow PreOwned 9/23/20 IGrow PreOwned 9/23/20

Valoya Launches Two New Greenhouse LED Grow Lights

Valoya, the research-driven manufacturer of horticultural LED grow lights has expanded its RX-Series line of greenhouse LEDs with two new models – RX500 and RX600

Valoya, the research-driven manufacturer of horticultural LED grow lights has expanded its RX-Series line of greenhouse LEDs with two new models – RX500 and RX600. The new models are higher power, higher efficiency versions of the existing RX400 model, and can be used as true 1-to-1 HPS replacements. RX500 and RX600 produce up to the staggering 1700 µmol/s of uniform light output. They have been designed to be robust and compact, producing minimal shading over the canopy. With an Ingress Protection rating of IP65 (wet location) these luminaires are completely dust tight and can withstand spraying with water jets from any direction. The high light intensity they produce enables them to be positioned high above the canopy, as much as 4 meters above it.

Valoya’s LED technology is proprietary and great efforts have been taken to create LED luminaires that last long and sustain the same light spectrum over their entire lifetime. RX500 and RX600 typically last 50000 hours whereby the intensity drops to 90% after about the 36000-hour mark. The spectrum decays evenly ensuring the grower will be getting the same plant performance and will not have to change the growth protocol over time.

In transitioning from HPS to LED, growers have to develop new growth protocols quickly. This is where Valoya’s team of biologists will provide support and expertise based on over 600 plant trials conducted in over 10 years. This means growers will hit the ground running after their LED upgrade and will see improvements in their plant performance right after it.

The new models are available with most of Valoya’s patented spectra such as SolrayÒ (sunlight replica) and AP673L (vegetative growth). All of Valoya’s spectra can be used as sole source lighting in no sunlight environments as well as together with sunlight. They have been tested on over 300 plant species/varieties and we will gladly share this data with growers to help them get the most out of their plants.

RX500 and RX600 are heavy-duty, greenhouse luminaires designed to produce high and uniform light output over a long period of time. Combined with Valoya’s patented spectra and the support of a team of photobiologists, RX-Series is the way to upgrade to LEDs in your greenhouse.

Contact Valoya today to get your free light plan - sales@valoya.com

To learn more about the RX-Series, please download the brochure.

About Valoya

Valoya is a provider of high end, energy-efficient LED grow lights for use in crop science, vertical farming, and medicinal plants cultivation. Valoya LED grow lights have been developed using Valoya's proprietary LED technology and extensive plant photobiology research. Valoya's customer base includes numerous vertical farms, greenhouses, and research institutions all over the world (including 8 out of 10 world’s largest agricultural companies).