Novozymes sues US company over patents

Danish enzyme maker Novozymes A/S has sued the Enzyme Bio-Systems Ltd. unit of Corn Products International for alleged infringement of two Novozyme patents related to enzyme production.

In papers filed this week in the U.S. District Court in Delaware, Novozymes, a major manufacturer of enzyme products, said the ULTRA-pHLo product line of Enzyme Bio-Systems (EBS) infringes Novozymes' patents for amylase variants.

Corn Products is the world's largest corn refiner and a major supplier of food ingredients. EBS, of Beloit, Wisconsin, makes fermentation-based products for use in industrial and food markets.

Enzymes, a type of protein produced by bacteria, are used as catalysts to speed up chemical processes.

Alpha-amylase enzymes are used to break down starches into sugars, and have commercial applications such as textile desizing, starch modification in the paper and pulp industries, brewing, and baking.

Novozymes wants the court to find that its patents have been infringed by EBS and its distributor, Enzyme Development Corp, and order EBS to stop making the allegedly infringing ULTRA-pHLo products.

Novozymes also seeks an award of unspecified damages.

No one at Enzyme Bio-Systems was available for comment. A spokeswoman at Corn Products' Bedford Park, Illinois offices said the lawsuit had not yet been served and the company does not comment on pending litigation.