Adiponitrile lawsuit

Invista, one of the world’s largest integrated fibres and polymer makers, is suing rivals Rhodia and DuPont in a US Federal Court, alleging they are teaming up to misappropriate its adiponitrile (ADN) technology and unlawfully using its trade secrets to expand their nylon chemicals businesses. 

Mary Beth Jarvis, a spokesperson for Invista, said: 'This suit was necessary to stop Rhodia and DuPont from unlawfully using [our] intellectual property to build an ADN manufacturing plant in Asia. We are asking the court to put an end to Rhodia’s and DuPont's misconduct and award damages for the harm they have caused.'

The Invista trade secrets at issue relate to the company's proprietary process for producing adiponitrile, a critical intermediate chemical used in the manufacture of nylon 6,6. Invista bought the original technology several years ago from DuPont as part of a $4.2bn (£2.2m) transaction.

When it sold the technology to Invista, DuPont signed an agreement prohibiting it from competing against the company or making investments in competitors for an agreed-upon period, which has yet to expire. According to the lawsuit, Rhodia obtained unlawful access to the trade secrets through a France-based joint venture between affiliates of Invista and Rhodia.