Local News in Brief : Entrepreneur Sues Rival Over Car Shade

An Israeli entrepreneur who holds U.S. patents on cardboard car shades is suing a Van Nuys company, Auto-Shade Inc., alleging patent infringement. The suit, filed last month by Abraham Levy in U. S. District Court in Los Angeles, also names Auto-Shade president Avi Fattal, vice president Avi Ruimi, both Israelis also, and some Auto-Shade suppliers and retailers.

Joseph Golant, Levy’s attorney, said the Van Nuys company began selling a product virtually identical to his client’s after Fattal and Ruimi had discussed becoming U. S. distributors for his client in 1982. The suit asks for unspecified actual damages plus $5 million in punitive damages.

Both products, which fold and unfold like accordions, fit under the windshield to keep the sun out of a parked car.

Gary Phillips, Auto-Shade’s lawyer, said there is no patent infringement. “We are looking to invalidate all of the patents because they lack patentable novelty,” he said.