3M settles patent lawsuit against abrasives company over paint technology

The terms of the deal have not been disclosed.

July 30, 2019 at 1:24AM
3M global headquarters in Maplewood (Glen Stubbe/Star Tribune)
3M global headquarters in Maplewood. (The Minnesota Star Tribune)

3M Co. has settled its patent-infringement lawsuit against Saint-Gobain Abrasives Inc.

3M announced the settlement on Monday but did not disclose terms of the deal.

The long-lasting dispute involved 3M's patented paint-preparation technology. 3M filed its patent-infringement complaints against Saint-Gobain in France and Germany and defended its patents before the European Patent Office. 3M accused Saint-Gobain's Norton Paint System (NPS) of violating 3M's patents.

In a statement, 3M officials said the settlement includes the "resolution of all disputes and a release of Saint-Gobain's NPS products under 3M's paint spray technology related patents."

3M, which is based in Maplewood, makes more than 55,000 products, generated $32.8 billion sales in 2018 and has 93,000 employees worldwide.

3M's stock price closed Monday at $176.78 a share, up 1.6%.

Saint-Gobain makes window, mortar, plasterboard and other building products and operates in 68 countries. It generates about $46 billion in sales annually and has 180,000 employees.

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about the writer

Dee DePass

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Dee DePass is an award-winning business reporter covering Minnesota small businesses for the Minnesota Star Tribune. She previously covered commercial real estate, manufacturing, the economy, workplace issues and banking.

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