Norris McLaughlin, P.A. Secures Major Patent Dispute Win Against Copycat Potty-Training Products

Bridgewater, NJ (April 14, 2026) – Norris McLaughlin, P.A. announced that members of the firm’s Patent Law Group won an unusually strong set of remedies at the U.S. International Trade Commission (USITC) protecting For Kids By Parents™, Inc. and its P-flector®, a product designated for eliminating urine splash during potty training, from a wave of imported copycats (or “dupes,” imitation products designed to look and function like the original).

The complaint initially identified 10 respondents, with more than 31 additional alleged infringers uncovered through later investigation—and additional sellers continuing to surface. Most of the respondents were overseas sellers, with the opinion identifying various companies based in China. The decision involved two related patents covering the same core product concept, with minor variations in how an adhesive component was provided. In each instance, the Commission found that the accused products copied one or the other patented design and function.

Instead of the typical dispute over names, logos, or online listings, this case turned on something far more concrete: the shape and design of a patented product. And the USITC sided with the patent owner over the two patent infringements and issued one of the agency’s strongest tools, a General Exclusion Order, which empowers U.S. Customs to stop infringing versions of the product from coming into the country regardless of which seller is listed on the shipment paperwork. The Commission also recommended cease-and-desist orders aimed at the particular infringers named in the action, cutting off sales from within the country as well as at the border, including fulfillment networks that supply major online and retail marketplaces.

“A GEO is among the most powerful and hardest to obtain orders available at the USITC, because it can block infringing imports broadly, not just from a single named seller,” said Brian C. Anscomb, Esq., a member of the firm’s Intellectual Property group. “These remedies help shut down the pipeline of copycat products and protect consumers and legitimate businesses from infringers who can reappear under new storefront names.”

In today’s e-commerce supply chain, products can be imported in bulk and spread quickly through third-party logistics networks often while sellers cycle through new names, storefronts, and listings, sometimes referred to as “shadow brands.” With inventory moving through U.S. warehouses and fulfillment centers, such as Amazon and Walmart, that feed major marketplaces, copycat goods can scale fast once they’re on domestic shelves.

“A general exclusion order can stop infringing products at the border, even as seller names and online listings change,” said Anscomb.

By focusing enforcement on the counterfeit products themselves, the Commission’s orders help prevent infringing products from being imported, warehoused, and sold through rapidly changing online storefronts. The result offers a roadmap for companies facing copycats in a marketplace where speed and scale often favor the infringer.

About Brian C. Anscomb

Anscomb concentrates his practice on the preparation and prosecution of U.S. non-provisional, continuation-in-part, continuation, divisional reissue, and divisional patent applications in the chemical, mechanical, electrical, and electronic arts. He regularly works on the preparation and filing of IDSs, RCEs, Requests for Reconsideration, Amendments, 131 and 132 Declarations, Notices of Appeal, Pre-Appeal Brief Requests for Review, and Appeal Briefs. He conducts telephonic and personal interviews with the United States patent examiners on behalf of his clients. Brian has worked extensively in the management of foreign patent applications extending from the nationalization of international patent applications under the provisions of the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT). He also renders non-infringement opinions, patentability opinions, and freedom-to-operate opinions.

About For Kids By Parents™, Inc.

For Kids By Parents™, Inc. was created out of the need to solve a particularly annoying parenting problem, which resulted in the creation of their 1st product, the P-flector® - their contribution to the juvenile products industry. For Kids By Parents™, Inc. is committed to the development of products from the minds of parents for the benefit of kids...everywhere.

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Norris McLaughlin, P.A., is a multi-practice, commercial law firm with offices in New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania, delivering legal solutions to clients wherever they conduct their business, including nationally and internationally. The firm’s nearly 130 attorneys practice in more than 25 legal disciplines and industry-focused groups and serve a wide range of clients, including small businesses, middle-market companies, and Fortune 500 corporations, as well as the private individuals and families who may own, lead, and/or manage those companies. Norris McLaughlin is a member of Meritas®, a global alliance of leading independent law firms. To learn more, visit www.norrismclaughlin.com. 

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