CUPROBAN®

Description

THE ‘CUPROBAN’ ANTIFOULING AND CORROSION SYSTEM

I am the owner of Cuproban Systems Ltd sales@cuproban.co.uk founded in 1988 to manufacture and supply Antifouling, ICCP and SACP Equipment marketed under the trademark ‘Cuproban’to the Marine and Offshore industries and in 1991 Cuproban then entered into a 10 agreement with Jotun Cathodic Protection. Since 1988 the technology has been supplied to shipyards/ operators/owners of Cruise and Merchant ships, Ferries,Rigs, Platforms around the world. Operators include Princess Cruises, P&O, Sedco Forex, Transocean, Chevron, Carnival Cruise Lines , Hyundai Heavy Industries, Norwegian Cruise Lines, Smedvig,Shell International, Kvaerner Yards, Oldendorff Reederei, J.Lauritzen, Wallenius Line, Superfast Ferries, V-Ships, Scanlines, Finnlines, Seebeck Werft, HDW, Daewoo, Dalian Yard, Zhangzhou Shipping, Jaingsu Yangzijaing Yard, Hellenic Shipyard, Halle Eng., Gdansk Shipyard, Mitsubishi H.I., Guangzhou Yard/A.P.Moller, Hyundai Mipo Yard, F.A.Detjen, Hatachi Zosen, Samsung H I, Leif Hoegh, Searex, CSBC, Chantiers D’Atlantique, Majesty Cruise Lines, and over 300 systems installed worldwide.

Cuproban Systems Ltd had continued to supply equipment and spares via Jotun Cathodic Protection until it was sold by its parent company Jotun AS in September 2002 and it soon became apparent that customers were being supplied with equipment not manufactured by Cuproban Systems Ltd but whilst still using its registered trademark. In view of the inevitable fall in sales this increasingly caused it was decided that Cuproban eventually had no option other than to cease supplying Jotun AS with Antifouling & Corrosion Control Systems and Spares, and particularly as it also became known that the Cuproban technology and its customer base had on the 1st September 2003 been effectively transferred by Jotun AS in return for a 10% shareholding in another supplier Cathelco. This together with the appropriation of the existing Cuproban customer base had since 2002 clearly been directed towards this end and whilst a letter from our solicitor dated 10 April,2006 did finally then prove sufficient for the Cuproban trademark to be removed from all existing Cathelco Jotun marketing materials, this was not before their combined trading activities had already resulted in immeasurable damage to Cuproban Systems Limited UK and its International customer base.

In 2007 this necessitated moving operations to Singapore under a 7-year licensing agreement with the Indian manufacturing company Sargam Metals Private Plc, and Cuproban equipment and spares are currently supplied via the international marketing company Cuproban Singapore Plc formed in 2007. As a director of Cuproban Singapore Plc. www.cuproban.com Cuproban Systems Ltd have retained a 10% shareholding in the company with its principle 90% shareholder and equipment manufacturer Sargam Metals Private Ltd based in Chennai, India.

Whilst my original expectations both during and since the conclusion of this licencing agreement in 2014 have failed to be met, and in the absence of any current agreement between all parties, I have until now continued to fully support the international marketing of equipment and spares via Cuproban Singapore and with its Cuproban Systems Head Office in the UK retained in the expectation of some future possible return on my original investment in both companies. However, not only has this failed to materialise but it has also continued to prove impossible for me obtain any access to inspect the affairs of Cuproban Singapore, and further it’s become clear the company also continues to be managed by the controlling directors against my own interests, both as owner of Cuproban Systems Ltd and also its 10% minority shareholding in Cuproban Singapore Plc. This also extends beyond this loss of access as a director and shareholder of Cuproban Singapore, but without any agreement for the unreported use of the Cuproban trademark by Sargam Metals Private or Sargam Cathodic Protection, rather than selectively choosing not to use Cuproban Singapore as its principle international equipment and spares distributor.

In view of the above, I have now finally had to decide to take some independent action over matters and will be contacting possible interested parties who would like to manufacture and sell equipment (e.g; by License/Purchase),using the ‘CUPROBAN’ UK/EU Trademarks together with its UK parent company Cuproban System Ltd. (Note: Notwithstanding the negative UK/EU trading effects resulting from the UK leaving the EU, Cuproban Systems Ltd UK Office has been retained and still remains registered with Companies House). Also as a director of both companies, the current 10% shareholding held by Cuproban Systems Ltd with Cuproban Singapore PLC, will also both become available if no further agreement can be reached with Sargam over the above detailed situation.

CUPROBAN SYSTEMS LIMITED
Tel:(44) 1923 829679

Share this