French electric company Schneider Electric was found to have infringed the patents of a Chinese low-voltage product company, Chint Group. Chint is China's leading manufacturer of low-voltage electric apparatus.

Schneider Electric and its authorized distributor Leqing Branch of Star Electric Equipment Co. Ltd. in Zhejiang have to pay 330 million Yuan in compensation ($44 million) and stop selling five models of products that are allegedly based on the technology patented by Chint Group. Wenzhou Intermediate People's court has found that Schneider has earned $117 million by selling the five models of apparatus from August 2004 to July 2006. Schneider was ordered to pay the compensation within 10 days of the Saturday ruling.

"We absolutely disagree with this decision, it is absolutely unreasonable," Guy Dufraisse, director of China operations for Schneider Electric told AFP. "Schneider Electric is a world leader in this technology, we will appeal this decision immediately to the Zhejiang high court." Guy Dufraisse also told AFP that his company is suing Chint for copyright infringement in cases both inside and outside China.

Schneider Electric claims it has been using the technology in the disputed circuit-breakers since the early 1990s, before Chint's patent applications in 1999.

Schneider Electric was founded in 1836 by two brothers, Joseph and Adolphe Schneider, and kicked off by working on weapons and armaments. The company entered the new electricity market in 1891. In 1999, Groupe Schneider was renamed Schneider Electric and among others it acquired well-known UPS maker American Power Conversion in 2007.