Vitax and Tower Chemicals are in dispute over who has the right to use the acronym OARS – it stands for ‘Organic Acid Removal System’ – and it may end in court.
Last week at SALTEX, where the companies were on adjoining stands, spokesmen for each tried hard to explain their position.
Speaking on behalf of Vitax, Ron Saunders the technical advisory manager and agronomist for Aqua-Aid said, “OARS is the original Aqua-Aid formulation. It’s not changed and Vitax is the sole UK supplier.”
“Oars Curative has the ability to remove the build up of organic acids that coat the surface of sand particles and cause water repellence and dry spot conditions in the first place,” adds Clive Williams, commercial manager for Vitax.
Meanwhile on the stand next door stood a large notice which quoted a statement from the website of Tower Chemicals. “There has been recently an amount of misinformation unjustly spoken about the product correctOAR‘s. correctOAR’s is the patented product that will remove the non-polar humic acid content from the soil to combat dry patch.
“OARS is only a registered trade name and not the patented product, hence why you can buy it at a discounted rate as it does not come from the patented manufacturer. It purports to be the same but it is not.
“After laboratory testing the differences between OARS and correctOAR’s are very significant. Should you wish to be furnished with this information please do not hesitate to contact us on the above numbers.
“Should you wish to view the patent it is available to view under patent number US 6,857,225 B2. The patent is owned by Milliken & Company who have assigned the worldwide distribution rights to GTi. GTi have assigned sole European sales rights to Tower.
“Please contact Tower should you feel as though you have been misinformed or mislead in any way into purchasing a lesser product, as legal action will be commencing shortly.”
Vitax www.vitax.co.uk
Tower Chemicals www.towerchemicals.com