For hoverboards at CES, patents are a marquee feature

Tokyo

THE Consumer Electronics Show is usually a place for technology companies to brag about how much faster, lighter, and thinner their products are than ones from competitors. Staff from the various hoverboard companies exhibiting at the world's largest gadget conference last week were eager to point to another feature: patents.

One Chinese maker of electric skateboards, Hangzhou Chic Intelligent Technology, brought along framed copies of its patents to CES in Las Vegas. The patents, which were filed in the US, Europe and Japan, cover aspects of the device's design. The company, which currently only offers products wholesale, plans to sell to consumers under its own brand this year, said Ada Xian, an overseas manager staffing the booth. "We, ourselves, are suing the copycats," she said.