The case was reported by Juve Patent, which covers the European patent market.

Agfa has filed its infringement action at the Hamburg Unified Patent Court, against a number of Gucci’s European entities.

It refers to Agfa’s patent number EP3388490 for Decorating Natural Leather.

The complex patent details “a manufacturing method for decorating natural leather with a decorative image according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention”.

It includes the steps of: applying on a crusted leather a base coat containing a pigment for providing a chromatic colour or an achromatic colour different from black; inkjet printing a colour image on the base coat using one or more pigmented UV curable inkjet inks; optionally applying a protective top coat on the image; and optionally applying a heat pressing or embossing step; wherein the chromatic colour or the achromatic colour different from black of the base coat and the inkjet printed colour image are used in combination to provide the decorative image.

Printweek has approached Agfa and Gucci for comment.

Gucci’s product range includes a number of printed and embossed leather bags. The Gucci Diana mini tote pictured retails at more than £3,000.