IN BRIEF : German Firm Files Suits Against GE

Hoechst Celanese Corp., a subsidiary of West Germany’s Hoechst AG, said today that it has filed patent infringement suits against General Electric Co. in the United States and Canada for GE’s manufacture and sale of certain polyester molding compounds.

The lawsuits, filed in U.S. Federal District Court for Delaware and in the Federal Court of Canada, seek damages and an injunction against further patent infringement by Fairfield, Conn.-based GE, Hoechst Celanese said.

Sommerville, N.J.-based Hoechst Celanese makes polyester molding compounds which it markets in the United States and Canada under the Celanex trademark. Its parent, Hoechst AG, is a Frankfurt-based chemicals company.

Hoechst Celanese said the polyester molding compositions on which the lawsuits are based are marketed by General Electric under the Valox trademark and are sold primarily for automotive applications.