Cocona’s lawsuit against Columbia Sportswear, North Face moving forward

BOULDER — After various procedural delays related to motions filed by Columbia Sportswear, the U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado issued a series of orders that will allow the lawsuit filed by Boulder-based Cocona Inc. in 2016 to move forward against Columbia Sportswear and The North Face for allegedly violating a patent held by Cocona.

The patent, issued to Cocona in 2015, teaches a method for making a membrane enhanced with active particles used in the manufacture of a 2.5-layer material for outdoor clothing that is “quieter, more compact and more comfortable,” than traditional three-layer hardshell fabric.

The 2.5-layer print technology has been around for decades. However, the traditional print layer reduced moisture vapor transmission, creating a trade-off between membrane protection and membrane performance.

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The company said in a prepared statement that the use of Cocona’s patented technology changes the print layer to a functional print that eliminates the tradeoff, drying out the microclimate and increasing the effective moisture vapor transmission rate while adding protection and dry touch to the membrane.