Archive for July, 2010
patent infringement
Friday, July 23rd, 2010
Judge Denies Summary Judgment Request from
Staples in PaperPro Patent Infringement Case
A federal district court judge has ruled against Staples in a patent
infringement lawsuit filed by PaperPro against the Framingham,
Massachusetts-based big box. In the suit PaperPro alleges Staples’
One Touch staplers infringe on three of its U.S. patents.
Staples had filed a motion for summary judgment in the case, in
an attempt to have the judge decide the case without going to
trial. In her ruling, according to PaperPro, the federal judge found
“a reasonable jury could conclude that Staples’ accused staplers
infringe the…patents, and myriad factual disputes preclude granting
summary judgment of non-infringement to Staples.”
A jury trial in the case is tentatively scheduled for November in
U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, PaperPro
said.
JULY
Posted in Industry News | No Comments »
industry acquisitions
Friday, July 23rd, 2010
Esselte Acquires Ampad
Office products manufacturer Esselte announced last month it has
acquired Richardson, Texas-based Ampad, in a move it described
as “a strategic addition to Esselte’s branded office products business
and an expansion for Esselte into the writing and envelope
product categories.”
“This is an exciting opportunity for our company, as we continue
our global expansion in office products” said Esselte CEO Gary
Brooks. “We look forward to working with the Ampad team and
our customers in order to ensure a seamless transition into one
progressive business.”
Posted in Industry News | No Comments »
Big Box Woes
Wednesday, July 14th, 2010
other investigations alleging overcharges and other irregularities
by Office Depot on various state and local government contracts
continued last month, as the Better Business Bureau of Southeast
Florida and the Caribbean revoked Office Depot’s membership in
the organization.
The BBB said its board of directors voted to revoke Office Depot’s
membership due to “recent government action involving the business’s
customer relations, which indicates a significant failure of the
business to meet standards of conduct expected of a BBB member.”
Specifically, the BBB cited the announcement last month from
Florida attorney general Bill McCollum that his office has negotiated
a settlement with Office Depot regarding allegations that the
company overcharged governmental agencies and non-profit organizations
for office supplies in violation of the Florida Deceptive
and Unfair Practices Act.
Under the settlement, McCollum said Office Depot will pay approximately
$4.5 million in refunds to eligible Florida customers,
including Florida government agencies.
According to an investigation by the attorney general’s Economic
Crimes Division, Office Depot allegedly switched certain local governmental
agencies and private non-profit organizations in Florida
from one pricing plan to another without their full understanding or
knowledge, potentially resulting in higher prices for those customers.
In addition to the refunds, Office Depot will reimburse the attorney
general’s office for its investigative costs and for costs associated
with ongoing and future enforcement actions. Office Depot also
agreed to comply fully with the Florida Deceptive and Unfair Trade
Practices Act.
The Florida attorney general is just the latest in a growing list of
state and local government officials who have found problems with
how Office Depot performs relative to its office supplies contracts.
Similar settlements have been reached in California, Georgia, Missouri
and elsewhere and numerous other investigations are ongoing.
For more information, visit www.idealercentral.com/id_watch.
Posted in Industry News | No Comments »
fishing news
Thursday, July 1st, 2010
gonna try to catch some redfish tomorrow in galveston
Posted in Uncategorized | 2 Comments »
Tools ‹ City Office Supply — WordPress
Thursday, July 1st, 2010
look forward to the prospect of more federal government business following the announcement
by the General Services Administration (GSA) earlier this month of the award winners
under GSA’s new Blanket Purchase Agreement (BPA) for office supplies. GSA estimates
its new BPA has a potential annual spend of more than $200 million and will run for four
years if all options under the agreement are exercised.
In addition to is.group, winners included Capitol Supply, Sunrise, Florida; Sita Business
Systems, Chantilly, Virginia; Shelby Distributions, El Paso; WECsys, Brooklyn Park, Minnesota;
Document Imaging Dimensions, Yorkville, Illinois, and Metro Office Products,
Belcamp, Maryland.
Also winning awards were Office Depot and EZ Print Supplies, Granada Hills, California,
as well as (for toner only) Cartridge Savers, Madison, Wisconsin; ASE Direct, Franklin,
Tennessee, and New York Inkjet, Baldwin, New York.
.
Posted in Industry News | No Comments »