All Smith Sports Optics articles
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News briefsBurton wins in next instance against Koroyd
Following a 26-month legal battle over a patent related to the shock-absorbing WaveCel technology, Burton has announced in a press release that a German court has ruled that Koroyd’s patent No. EP 1694 152 B1 is invalid in Germany. Koroyd may appeal the decision. In the fall of 2022, Koroyd ...
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News briefsSmith has a new partner in Switzerland
US goggle and helmets brand Smith has announced a strategic partnership with Spoco, who is to be its sole sales agency of record for the Swiss territory. As part of Smith’s ongoing efforts to expand market share and grow brand presence within the heart of Europe, the partnership with Spoco ...
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News briefsKoroyd wins against Burton in German patent violation case
After a 15-month legal dispute in a German court, Koroyd released a statement on Oct. 27 regarding its victory in the Düsseldorf district court in its patent infringement case against Burton. The first-instance ruling concludes that Burton infringed patent EP 1 694 152 in Germany by manufacturing and selling Anon ...
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News briefsSmith promotes Rob Retzlaff to global VP of sales
The U.S. goggle and helmets brand Smith has promoted its long-term employee Rob Retzlaff to global vice president of sales. Retzlaff has been with the company since 1999, holding such positions as Canadian marketing manager and national sales manager for Canada. In 2008, Retzlaff was promoted to ...
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News briefsMark Phares promoted to global GM of Smith Optics
Smith Optics, the U.S. eyewear and helmet brand owned by the Safilo Group, has promoted Mark Phares, who has been with the company for a total of 20 years, to global general manager. Phares spent 17 years within the Smith organization in various sales and management roles before leaving the ...
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News briefs
Burton is sued over a helmet patent
Smith Sports Optics and Koroyd are suing Burton Snowboards in a federal court in Utah, claiming that the WaveCel shock-absorbing material it uses in some of its helmets infringes on a jointly owned U.S. patent. The patented technology, called Koroyd, uses an array of structures that provide crumple zones to ...
