Energizer Holdings, which sued seven Chinese battery companies three years ago for infringing on its patent for zero-mercury alkaline batters, has lost its case, the Beijing Times reports. The case was an important one for the international battery trade, since section 337 of the US's Tariff Act bans the importation of patent-violating products. Energizer and its sister company, Eveready Battery Company, brought the lawsuit against the seven Chinese companies and other international manufacturers to the International Trade Commission in 2003. China's battery makers felt that the move to non-mercury composition was a natural step in the development of environmentally friendly batteries, and hence no infringement was involved. Changhong Electric, one of the companies involved in the suit, spent nearly US$400,000 to defend itself by hiring an American legal consultant.Link: http://bjt.net.cn/news.asp?newsid=137115