In November, the Canadian Patent Office granted a first patent CA 2226286 on glueless click-systems for flooring applications. The patent offers the same protection as its earlier granted U.S. equivalent US 6 390 836 and protects both glue-free joints with pretension and glue-free joints that allow installation by angling on the long side and by sliding on the short side. The Canadian patent gives the Unilin group the means to enforce its patent rights in Canada, as well.

The U.S. Patent Office has issued four important notices of allowance: The snap, the pretension, the clearances and the hook. A notice of allowance can be compared with a "Druckexamplar" in Europe and means that the examiner agrees with the protection claimed. It is expected that the official grant will follow in the upcoming weeks.