Press release

[ BoxID 209584, Company-Internal ]  

Jenoptik wins Asyst trial

(pressebox) Jena, 13.10.2008 - Update on ad-hoc announcements dated February 1, 2007 and August 5, 2007 and the Legal Risks as they were set out in the Obligatory Risk Analysis of the Jenoptik Annual Report.

The Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit in Washington confirms the decision of the US District Courts in San José in favor of Jenoptik. In 1996 Asyst Technologies Inc. Jenoptik had sued Jenoptik for damages due to alleged patent infringements. With the decision of the Federal Circuits the court of appeal confirms the opinion of Jenoptik and its counsel in the United States that Asyst's claims are unfounded and without merit.

The trial, which has been litigious for over ten years, is thus finished. A possible motion by the defeated party seeing further review is only successful in very few exceptional cases.

Additional information on the trial.

The dispute between Jenoptik and Asyst had been litigious since 1996. On several previous occasions during this dispute, the District Court and the Federal Court had held in favor of Jenoptik.

The first instance had heard this dispute for the third time. On February 1, 2007, a jury had found that Jenoptik infringed certain claims of Asyst's patent and found damages amounting to approx. 56.7 million euros. Contrary to this recommendation, on August 3, 2007, the District Court held all of the remaining claims invalid and entered judgment for Jenoptik for the third time in succession. The losing plaintiff had then filed another appeal to the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit in Washington, D.C. This time the court of appeals affirmed the decision of the District Court in favor of Jenoptik. The technology in question related to a business segment that Jenoptik abandoned in 1999.

Contact person:

Mrs. Katrin Lauterbach
Public Relations
Phone: +49 (3641) 65-2255
Fax: +49 (3641) 65-2484
field of activity: Pressesprecherin
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