Hook-and-loop fastener Mestral's patent expired, prompting a flood of low-cost imitations from Taiwan, China and South Korea onto the market. Today, the trademark is the subject of more than 300 trademark registrations in over 159 countries. George de Mestral was inducted into the national inventors hall of fame for his invention. The big breakthrough George de Mestral made was to think about hook-and-eye closures on a greatly reduced scale. Hook-and-eye fasteners have been common for centuries, but what was new about hook-and-loop fasteners was the miniaturisation of the hooks and eyes. Shrinking the hooks led to the two other important differences. Firstly,
Armand de Mestral Armand de Mestral Armand de Mestral, (born 17 November 1941) is a Canadian academic and international arbitration expert. Born in Montreal, Quebec, de Mestral is a law professor at the McGill University and an expert in international law. He also teaches courses on constitutional law and the law of the European Union. He has an undergraduate and master's degree from Harvard University, a law degree from McGill University, as well as honorary doctorates from Université de Lyon and Kwansei Gakuin University. He also served a term as president of the Canadian Red Cross. He was made member of the Order