LDI is the owner of a family of patents (“The Clement Patents”) which directly govern 2-D and 3-D sub-surface decorative laser marking in crystal, glass, and other clear materials. These patents were previously owned by United Distillers and Vintners UK (“UDV”), now known as Diageo Scotland, Ltd. LDI refers to this family of patents as “The Clement Patents”, after the inventor, Dr. Marc Clement, now a chaired professor at the University of Swansea in Wales. Prior to our purchase of these patents, LDI held certain sole and exclusive rights in these patents via a license granted to LDI by UDV in 1995. The Clement Patents, which LDI has purchased from UDV, include the following patents, listed by country of issue:
| USA | US 5,206,496 | Filed 8/15/91 | Granted 4/27/93 |
| United Kingdom | GB 2,247,677 | Filed 8/14/91 | Granted 4/19/95 |
| Australia | AU 654287 | Filed 8/15/91 | Granted 2/21/95 |
| European Union | EP 543,899 | Filed 7/1/93 | Granted 3/26/97 |
| Austria (Pub. No. E150702) |
| Belgium (Pub. No. 0543899) |
| France (Pub. No. 0543899) |
| Germany (Pub. No. P69125378.1) |
| Greece (Pub. No. 3023872) |
| Italy (Pub. No. 0543899) |
| Luxembourg (Pub. No. 0543899) |
| Netherlands (Pub. No. 0543899) |
| Spain (Pub. No. 2102401) |
| Sweden (Pub. No. 0543899) |
| Switzerland (Pub. No. 0543899) |
| United Kingdom (Pub. No. 0543899) |
| France | FR 2665855 | Filed 8/14/91 | Granted 7/4/95 |
| Germany | DE 4126626 | Filed 8/12/91 | Granted 8/4/94 |
| Hong Kong | HK 1007298A | Filed 6/24/98 (Priority to 8/14/91) | Granted 9/4/99 |
| Ireland | IE 72960 | Filed 8/14/91 | Granted 4/16/97 |
| Japan | JP 3029045 | Filed 8/6/93 | Granted 4/2/00 |
| Portugal | PT 98,686 | Filed 8/14/91 | Granted 10/1/98 |
| South Africa | ZA 91.6265 | Filed 8/8/91 | Granted 10/28/92 |
Copies of the original US 5,206,496 Patent and a recent Certificate of Re-Examination are available for download below.
496Patent (548 kb PDF)
496C1Patent (460 kb PDF)