Dutch chemicals group Akzo NV and E....

Dutch chemicals group Akzo NV and E. I. Du Pont de Nemours & Co. announced a surprise deal on super-fibers, ending what Akzo called “the biggest industrial patents battle of this century.” The agreement ends 11 years of continuous litigation in courts around the world over production techniques for the super-strong aramid fiber. Under the deal, details of which were not divulged, Akzo and Du Pont will suspend all ongoing legal battles and grant each other industrial patents for the manufacture of the fiber sold by Du Pont under the name of Kevlar and called Twaron by Akzo.