Sawmill inventor takes case to Supreme Court

A sawmill inventor who denies copying another company's design will have his day in the Supreme Court.

Carl Peterson, the man behind Peterson Portable Sawing Systems, has been given the go ahead to appeal earlier court decisions which found he copied crucial elements of the design of a mobile sawmill owned by Australian company Lucas Mill.

The earlier judgments have left Mr Peterson, the Act Party's Rotorua candidate, hundreds of thousands of dollars out of pocket.

Mr Peterson launched his first portable sawmill in 1988 at Fieldays, where it picked up the first of many awards.

The sawmills became a huge success in New Zealand and Australia. However, relations with his Australian partner turned sour.

In 1998 his firm was notified that the Australian company, Lucas Mill, was taking legal action against him -- for infringing on its patent.

Mr Peterson said he was stunned when he eventually lost the case. He is adamant the design of the device being contested was originally devised by him.

Both the High Court and the Court of Appeal found against Mr Peterson, who incurred costs of about $250,000.

The Court of Appeal decision led to the closure of Peterson Portable Sawmills and the seizure by secured creditors of its assets.

The Peterson sawmill manufacturing rights now rest with P and B Engineering Limited, a company made up of former shareholders and debenture holders, including Mr Peterson's son Karl Jacob Peterson, his daughter Kerris Browne and son-in-law Christopher Browne.

Mr Peterson said he had requested government financial and legal help but was told the Government could not intervene in a case already before the courts.

Lucas Mills owner Rex Lucas did not want to comment on the case in any detail.

"It's in the hands of the judges now." he said "This is round four now and I don't see anything changing."

"It has dragged out for so long because there has been a kind of scattergun defence ... It is only a matter of the judge going over the details to see where the facts lie."

A date for the Supreme Court hearing has yet to be fixed.

- DAILY POST (ROTORUA)