A coalition of plastics recycling and process machinery suppliers across Europe have formed in response to a common concern that the European Patent Office (EPO) is creating legal uncertainty and a troubling environment for the industry by awarding two patents to MBA Polymers. The Open Polymers Processing Alliance (OPPA), comprised of 66 companies, has set its sights on a pair of patents granted to the Richmond, California-based company by the EPO for processes and technologies that they claim have long standing and are widely used in the industry. The suppliers in the alliance worry that that the patents would allow MBA to make broad ranging claims on what they describe as practices used daily by various companies in the industry.
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