Agilent Wins Trade Secret and Patent Infringement Litigation

J&X Technologies to pay Agilent more than $1.25 million in damages for “willful and malicious” theft of Agilent trade secrets

SANTA CLARA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Agilent Technologies Inc. (NYSE: A) today announced it has won a judgement in federal court for patent infringement and trade secret misappropriation against Shanghai-based J&X Technologies. The court victory in the Northern District of Texas, Dallas Division, requires J&X to pay Agilent more than $1.25 million for illegally using Agilent patents and trade secrets in developing gas chromatography equipment.

The court victory also prevents J&X and its founders Xiaosheng Guan and Qiang Xu from manufacturing, distributing, or selling products using Agilent proprietary gas chromatography information. In addition, J&X is prohibited from disclosing or using Agilent gas chromatography information or other proprietary information. In its ruling, the Court noted that “J&X’s misappropriation of Agilent’s trade secrets was willful and malicious.”

“This court victory reinforces the critical importance Agilent places on protecting our intellectual property,” said Mike Tang, Agilent senior vice president and general counsel. “Innovation is central to what Agilent is all about and this court decision should stand as a message to those seeking to undermine our focus on innovation. We will always seek to protect our proprietary technology and the hard work of Agilent employees developing it to serve our customers.”

Gas chromatography is an analytical technique used to separate the chemical components of a sample mixture. It is used to detect what is in the mixture and how much of a given element or compound is present. Typical uses of gas chromatography include testing the purity of a particular substance or separating the different components of a mixture to understand how it is constituted.

Agilent has long been a leader in developing gas chromatography equipment. The company welcomes competition on its merits and looks forward to continuing to drive innovation in all areas of its business.

About Agilent Technologies

Agilent Technologies Inc. (NYSE: A) is a global leader in life sciences, diagnostics, and applied chemical markets, delivering insight and innovation toward improving the quality of life. Agilent instruments, software, services, solutions, and people provide trusted answers to customers' most challenging questions. The company generated revenue of $5.34 billion in fiscal year 2020 and employs 16,400 people worldwide. Information about Agilent is available at www.agilent.com. To receive the latest Agilent news, please subscribe to the Agilent Newsroom. Follow Agilent on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook.