ASSA ABLOY highlights misleading key copy protection claims

The Door Hardware & Access Control Group, a business unit of ASSA ABLOY Opening Solutions UK & Ireland, has released a new white paper, highlighting the misleading key copy protection claims made by many cylinder lock suppliers.

Titled ‘Dispelling the Myth: Misleading Claims Around Key Copy Protection’, the latest ASSA ABLOY white paper can be downloaded for free.

The white paper provides a best practice guide to understanding intellectual property for products, covering trademarks, design registrations and patents. It then goes on to discuss the myths surrounding these, and the steps that must be taken to ensure a system has the correct protection in place so keys cannot be copied.

The white paper also provides an example of when one party’s claims around a trademark on a key profile was challenged, the outcome of this, and the wider implications for the industry and those seeking a reliable and secure cylinder locking solution.

Paul Johnson, Director of Business Development at ASSA ABLOY Door Hardware & Access Control, explains: “When investing in a new master key cylinder system, one critical aspect that many people tend to overlook is the availability of additional keys. Worringly, if systems are not patent protected, extra keys can be legally obtained without the owner’s knowledge and permission – a fact that many people are unaware of.

“In this new white paper, we dispel the myths around parties’ claims of so-called ‘lifelong trademark protection on key profiles’ and the impact this has on key copying, when compared with legally enforceable patent protection. Offering a clear and practical approach to tackling this issue, we hope those considering investing in a new patented master key cylinder system find our latest white paper useful, helping to protect sites and people against a security risk that they may not yet know about.”

To download the white paper in full, please visit www.assaabloyopeningsolutions.co.uk/keycopywhitepaper.