No Smoke Without Fire: Infringement Found In Detector Testing Dispute

Where there's smoke, there's usually fire, but in the world of smoke-detector testing, the whole point is to simulate one without the other. In No Climb Products Ltd v Gas Safe Europe Ltd [2026] EWHC 908 (IPEC), handed down on 22 April 2026, HHJ Hacon considered whether Gas Safe's DetectaReach® product infringed No Climb's European Patent 2,265,516 B1 in the UK, and whether that patent was valid. The judgment finds both infringement and validity.

Background

Smoke and gas detectors need regular testing to make sure they still trigger an alarm. No Climb's patent solves a practical problem: how to spray a test aerosol at a ceiling-mounted detector from below, while keeping the spray far enough away. Spraying from too close can leave residue that stops the detector working properly.