Solarspot News Court

Court: “50% more light yield for SOLARSPOT”

Cocquio Trevisago (Varese)  27th June 2008 .  On 25 June the Court at The Hague (AIA, Netherlands, Case n°309372/KGZA 08-492) has ruled that the claim of Solar Project that a comparative test has demonstrated that the light yield of the SOLARSPOT® is 50% more as compared to the SOLATUBE is correct.

The court case involved a statement of Solar Project and its Dutch distributor Atlas Acomfa, which includes the following text:

“On 18 July 2006 a comparative test was carried out in Settimo Milanese in Northern Italy between two light tube systems of SOLARSPOT and SOLATUBE. In this test Infinity Motion (Solatube distributor in Italy) and Solar Project (producer of the Solarspot) each appointed their own expert to monitor the test procedures. In the Solatube system an average of 61.3 lux was measured compared to 92.2 lux in the Solarspot system. Thus, on average the Solarspot system generated 53.8% more light in the test circumstances than the Solatube system.”

See www.atlasacomfa.nl. The full description of the test and the results of all measurements can be downloaded at www.solarspot.eu, (click here)

Solatube International Inc (producer of Solatube), requested the court to order Solar Project to seize the publishing of such information. The court denied this request and ruled that Solar Project has not committed acts of unfair competition by referring to the comparative test. The court has denied all arguments of Solatube in this regard. Most importantly the court has ruled (par. 4.21) that:

“The statement that the test has shown that the average light yield of the SOLARSPOT is 50% more as compared to the SOLATUBE is factually correct”

Also the court rules (4.17) that the differences between the two products mentioned by Solatube:

“are qualities of the sort which apparently lead to a reduced light yield.”

The court has rejected all claims against Solar Project and has ordered Solatube to pay the court costs and the legal fees of Solar Project.

Solar Project raised a counterclaim and requested the court to order Solatube to stop advertisements stating that Solatube offers the highest daylight performance. This claim was denied as Solatube had informed the court that this claim was only made by the Dutch distributor of Solatube: Techcomlight, which was not a party to the proceedings.

Solar Project was established in 2003. Its  Solarspot daylighting guidance systems are developed by Dr. Bracale, who started his Energo Project  Company devoted to renewable energy employment since 1981.

Solar Project produces and exports this innovating daylighting system all over the world with a principal interest in Europe. Solarspot was awarded of the gold medal for innovation at Batimat 2003 (Paris).