On October 14, 2022, plaintiffs Fan Bao — an individual inventor — and Zico USA, Inc. filed a patent infringement action in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California (Case No. 8:22-cv-01885). The defendants were Wenzhou Haoke Electric Appliance Co., Ltd., a Chinese appliance manufacturer, Epeus Co., Ltd., and individual Wu Xinghong. The asserted patents were USD0961152S, a design patent covering the ornamental appearance of a tobacco tube filler device, and US10701965B2, a utility patent covering systems, methods, and devices for delivering tobacco into tobacco casing tubes.

After 791 days of litigation, the parties filed a joint notice on or around December 13, 2024, confirming they had reached a settlement in principle and were drafting a long-form settlement agreement, with a target dismissal date of no later than January 31, 2025. The court was asked to adjourn all pending deadlines and hearings pending that formal dismissal. The basis of termination is recorded as ‘Case Settled,’ consistent with a private resolution rather than a court-imposed judgment on the merits.

The 791-day duration — more than two years from filing to settlement notice — suggests the parties engaged in substantive discovery and motion practice before reaching agreement. The involvement of a Chinese manufacturer and a co-defendant distribution entity, alongside both design and utility patent claims, likely added complexity to claim construction and jurisdictional considerations. The specific financial terms, any licensing arrangement, and the precise scope of the settlement remain confidential and are not reflected in the public court record.