Court Stops Team Too From Using Tpe Associates/thermapure(r) Intellectual Property

A judge in Los Angeles has given an important legal victory to a Ventura, CA based company whose intellectual property was ruled misappropriated. TPE Associates, which licenses the patented and highly successful ThermaPureHeat process to companies throughout North America, was awarded more than $250,000 in damages against Team Termite & Pest Control (Team Too) of Corona, California. End Quote

[Team Too] contracted . . . that it would not use or disclose Claimant's trade secrets for 20 years from the date of its renewal. The time has come for it to honor this obligation

(1888PressRelease) March 11, 2010 - LOS ANGELES, CA - Ventura, California-based TPE Associates, which licenses the ThermaPureHeat® process to pest control companies throughout North America, has won an important intellectual property case over Team Termite & Pest Control (Team Too) of Corona, California.

Justice Robert Feinerman (Ret.) ruled that Team Too executives William and Bryan Houtchens illegally misappropriated the ThermaPure process and ordered them to immediately stop using TPE Associates' proprietary method of killing insects with heat. Justice Feinerman's award was approved by the Los Angeles Superior Court.

Despite the fact that Team Too was contractually prohibited from using or disclosing TPE's trade secrets for 20 years, its executives took the ThermaPure process, renamed it, and then passed it off as their own. In fact, Bryan Houtchens issued an industry-wide press release claiming that Team Too developed the method.

"We have a right and an obligation to protect our intellectual property. We have spent years developing this important technology and no one has a right to misappropriate this property from us," says David Hedman, CEO of TPE Associates.

In addition to awarding TPE Associates approximately $250,000 in damages, Justice Feinerman ordered Team Too to stop using ThermaPure's method.

"[Team Too] contracted . . . that it would not use or disclose Claimant's trade secrets for 20 years from the date of its renewal. The time has come for it to honor this obligation," ruled Feinerman.

"This is a great victory for TPE/ThermaPure and for our licensees, who understand the breadth and strength of the ThermaPureHeat brand," said Dr. Michael Linford, who spent many years developing the ThermaPure method. Linford is president of TPE Associates and a pioneer in the use of heat to kill insects in structures.

TPE Associates, which operates under the ThermaPureHeat® trademark, was represented by Sean Kneafsey, Michele Friend, and Shaun Swiger of Kneafsey & Friend LLP of Los Angeles, CA.

Justice Feinerman's complete ruling and the Court's injunction can be obtained at http://thermapure.com/pdf/2010-01-12_Award.pdf.

About ThermaPure
ThermaPure® is a heat technology that utilizes structural pasteurization to sanitize structures. The ThermaPureHeat® process can also kill mold, bacteria, viruses and insects, including bed bugs, termites and their eggs.

The ThermaPureHeat process is currently licensed to more than 40 quality companies in North America.

For Additional Information:
Alan Elias
ThermaPure
(925) 785-2650
aelias ( @ ) thermapure dot com
www.thermapure.com

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