AL-KO Secures legal success over Competitor

AL-KO Kober, the market leading manufacturer of caravan and motorhome chassis and accessory products, has been successful in its legal action against BULLDOG Security Products for infringement of patent rights of the AL-KO Secure Wheel Lock product.

The two companies agreed an out of court settlement at requires Bulldog to remove the Bulldog Max Wheel Lock product and all its variants which incorporate AL-KO’s protected technology from sale and to cease marketing the product with immediate effect. The Bulldog product has been historically sold with the intention of utilising the
AL-KO Secure Receiver, which forms an integral part of the security system used by the patented product and which is supplied directly to caravan manufacturers by AL-KO Kober.

AL-KO had taken the necessary steps to prevent the use of the Bulldog Max product with the AL-KO Receiver by fitting a grub screw inside the threaded receiver post, only for Bulldog to produce a “removal tool” for users to remove the grub screw. As a result AL-KO stepped up their legal approach to stop this from occurring.

Barry Sharratt, Managing Director, of AL-KO Kober UK expressed his satisfaction at theoutcome by commenting:

“The action has been successful and protects the innovation contained in this product and the expectation that we will continue to innovate new products for the touring caravan industry. The agreement by Bulldog to remove its product from the market is a resounding success for AL-KO, who as a company, has invested heavily in new product development, especially in security products that provide the highest level of theft deterrent available for caravans. It is unjustified for a company to try and take a commercial advantage on the back of someone else’s investment, and we are ultimately pleased with the outcome”.

“AL-KO Secure remains the most secure theft deterrent available for caravans and continues to pass the annual rigorous testing procedures to the DIAMOND standard carried out by Sold Secure to ensure that the AL-KO Secure Wheel Lock receives the highest level of certification possible for this type of product”.

“As a result of this successful action, AL-KO will now no longer fit the grub screw into the AL-KO Secure Receiver for future orders although some existing stock of caravans will still have the grub screw inserted”.

“As part of the settlement of the claim against Bulldog, I confirmed that in the light of Bulldogs agreement to immediately stop manufacturing or selling the Bulldog Max product and the issues that further action would cause in the marketplace, my company would not pursue a claim for patent infringement against Bulldog’s customers in respect of their purchases of the Bulldog Max wheel clamp from Bulldog prior to 19th December 2008. We will, however vigorously pursue any other infringement of AL-KO’s proprietary rights in this or any other product”.

The AL-KO Secure Wheel Lock is the market leading DIAMOND rated security solution for caravans. The wheel specific lock stops the wheel from rotating effectively and prevents the caravan from being towed away.

The current recommended retail price for the wheel lock compact kit is approximately £215.99.

More information about the AL-KO Secure Wheel Lock can be found on the company’s website at www.al-ko.co.uk "