J.L. Clark, Inc. — patent litigation as defendant

J.L. Clark, Inc.

1 case as defendant.

Cases

Active

1 closed

Filed

—

Top venue

N.D. Ohio Judge

1 case

Company profile

J.L. Clark, Inc. ("J.L. Clark," formerly Clark) is a private U.S. packaging manufacturer founded in 1904 by John Lewis Clark and headquartered at 923 23rd Avenue, Rockford, Illinois, where it has operated for over 120 years. It is a subsidiary of CC Industries, Inc. (CCI), the Chicago-based holding company for the Crown family's privately held operating businesses under Henry Crown and Company. CCI acquired J.L. Clark on June 29, 2015, from CLARCOR Inc. (NYSE: CLC) for roughly $48 million; CLARCOR disclosed about 350 employees and approximately $77 million in annual revenue at divestiture. Current headcount is smaller in Rockford (175 as of mid-2025, with a stated 40% expansion planned); third-party directories estimate 200–499 employees and $100–250 million in annual sales.

Operations. J.L. Clark makes highly decorated custom metal and plastic packaging for consumer brands — metal tins and aluminum containers, injection-molded plastic containers, sticks and closures, and metal/plastic combination packages. It operates end-to-end capabilities including coating, lithography/printing, metal fabrication, and injection molding. Its products include dispensing and sifting closures, child-resistant and tamper-evident designs, and two-flap "shake-and-spoon" spice caps. End markets include confectionery, beauty and personal care, food and beverage, spice, and smokeless tobacco; press coverage names customers such as McCormick, Johnson & Johnson, Carmex, and the Altoids tin line.

Patent-litigation posture. The structured data shows one tracked case, with J.L. Clark as defendant (0 as plaintiff) — the profile of an operating company being sued, not an asserter. There is no indication of NPE/PAE activity.

Notable case. Weatherchem Corporation v. J.L. Clark, Inc., No. 1:91-CV-35 (N.D. Ohio, Judge Kathleen M. O'Malley), 937 F. Supp. 1262 (1996), aff'd in part, modified in part, vacated in part, 163 F.3d 1326 (Fed. Cir. 1998). Weatherchem, a competing closure maker, asserted U.S. Patents 4,693,399 and 4,936,494 on plastic two-flap spice-container caps. Clark counterclaimed for declaratory judgment; the district court held both patents invalid (on-sale bar and obviousness) and the '494 patent not infringed. Venue was the Northern District of Ohio, not a plaintiff-friendly Texas forum.

Weatherchem Corporation v. J.L. Clark, Inc.

affirmed in part, modified in part, vacated in part, remanded

Docket:: 1:91-CV-35
Court:: U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio (Judge Kathleen M. O'Malley)

Patents:4936494 4693399

π Weatherchem Corporation Δ J.L. Clark, Inc.

Weatherchem Corporation sued J.L. Clark, Inc. for infringement of U.S. Patent 4,936,494 and U.S. Patent 4,693,399. The district court held the '494 patent invalid for obviousness and alternatively not infringed, and held the '399 patent invalid under the on-sale bar but infringed. On appeal, the Federal Circuit affirmed in part, modified in part, and vacated the '399 on-sale-bar determination for reconsideration under Pfaff v. Wells Electronics.