ONE of Malvern's most successful companies has been hit by a multi-million dollar lawsuit from a competitor in America.

The suit, claiming damages of $25 million (£12.5 million), has been filed against Malvern Instruments by the Wyatt Technology Corporation in the United States District Court in California.

The lawsuit alleges that Malvern Instruments has violated US and California law by infringing copyrighted software and other materials belonging to Wyatt.

The American firm is also seeking damages for what it calls false advertising regarding Malvern Instruments' Zetasizer Nano Systems.

The charges are being strongly denied by Malvern Instruments.

Managing director Paul Walker said: "The action being pursued by Wyatt Technology Corporation Inc, which was brought without any prior notice, is completely unfounded. Malvern Instruments maintains the highest standards in all its business activities and will be mounting a vigorous challenge to this action.

"The Zetasizer Nano is one of the most successful particle characterisation systems that Malvern has ever produced and we expect to see continued sales growth this year.

"Since its launch in 2003, the system has been received enthusiastically.

"Our customers can be confident that they are receiving expert technical and applications support from Malvern's own experienced and highly knowledgeable team."

Malvern Instruments was founded in the late 1960s and has become a leader in the field of particle analysis.

In 2006, it won the Queen's Award for Enterprise in the category of international trade, the fourth such award in the company's history.

Malvern Instruments employs about 100 people at its headquarters in Growewood Road on the Enigma Business Park in Malvern Link.

It is owned by Spectris, a precision instrumentation and controls company, which had sales of £685 million in 2006 and employs about 6,000 people worldwide in its 13 business units.

The Zetasize Nano is one of a range of devices Malvern Instruments makes for measuring the size of particles.

Devices like this are used in a wide range of manufacturing industries, including food and drink, drugs and other chemicals and cement.