Coffee Machine
A patent protects a coffee machine with specially shaped coffee tabs that together enable coffee to be made. A dealer in Austria offers special tabs with the patented features that can only be used in the patented coffee machine. The dealer sells the tabs exclusively to private customers.
Question: Can the patent holder take action against the dealer?
refrigerator
A patent protects a refrigerator that achieves improved cold insulation through a special seal. Company X manufactures exactly this special seal and sells it in Austria as a seal for swimming pool pumps. Some private customers discover that the same seal can also be used in refrigerators, thereby improving the energy efficiency of the refrigerator.
Question: Is this an indirect patent infringement?
Transmission for Trucks
A is the owner of a patent for a new type of transmission for trucks. A retired technology enthusiast builds a 1:5 scale replica of this transmission using standard gears and rods purchased from a mechanical engineering supplier. When he presents the technology on his blog, the patent owner is not pleased and wants to take action against the mechanical engineering supplier in particular.
Plant Film
B is the owner of a patent for a plant film. This is cut to length so that plants can be inserted through the film. A patent is directed to the combination of plants with plant film; the plant film alone was not patentable. A garden accessories entrepreneur sells the plant film described and includes B's patent with a note that this use is not permitted.
Question: Is this an indirect patent infringement?
Beer Filling System
C is the owner of a patent for a beer filling system with a special valve. As these special valves are subject to heavy wear and tear, they need to be replaced frequently. As the special valves are too expensive from manufacturer C, a customer buys the special valves from a competitor. The competitor complied with the customer's requirements and specific ideas. C does not want to sue its customer, but wants to prevent the supplier from continuing to supply the customer.
Question: Is this an indirect patent infringement?
Filling Beverages
D holds a patent on a process for filling beverages into special bags supplied by D using a machine manufactured by D. A film manufacturer has learned that D's customers are complaining about the high prices of the special bags and is now also manufacturing similar bags.
Question: Is this an indirect patent infringement?