Flood Vent Maker Accuses Rival of Conspiracy to Corner Market

Crawl Space Door System Inc., which makes “flood vents” for buildings, has accused rival Smart Vent Products Inc. of a multi-year scheme to dominate the market through meritless litigation and other means.

Smart Vent has leveraged its “greater cash flow” to sue competitors into submission with sham infringement or unfair competition claims asserting fraudulently obtained patents, according to the June 18 lawsuit filed in Virginia federal court. Those suits culminate in anti-competitive settlements, the lawsuit says. The complaint cites as an example ongoing patent litigation between Smart Vent and Crawl Space in New Jersey federal court.

Smart Vent has falsely ...