Tuesday, May 29, 2007, 5/29/2007 02:42:00 PM

China Wants Our Nibs

By Todd
The Quad-City Times is reporting that the Iowa-based Sheaffer Manufacturing Company is going to court to protect the nib. (That's the part that puts ink to the paper).

Fort Madison's Sheaffer Manufacturing Company and its parent, BIC Corporation, have filed a lawsuit against a former worker to stop him from selling the company's information about the nib design to a Chinese pen company.

The lawsuit against Ted Sharpe of LaHarpe, Illinois, was filed earlier this month in US District Court in Davenport, Iowa.

Sharpe worked for Sheaffer from 1974 to 2003.

A spokeswoman for BIC and Sheaffer (Linda Kwong) says the companies don't comment on pending litigation, but they do take an aggressive position to protect trade secrets.
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