HSIN-CHU, Taiwan, May 10, 2001 (PRIMEZONE) -- The following is issued by Polytronics Technology Corp.:
On March 2, 2001, Littelfuse, Inc. (Nasdaq:LFUS) issued a public announcement that it had filed a lawsuit for patent infringement against CompUSA in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, alleging that the motherboards sold by CompUSA contained "surface mount circuit protection devices" made by Polytronics which allegedly infringed upon Littelfuse's U.S. patent. Littelfuse S&L, Inc., the Taiwanese subsidiary of Littelfuse, immediately followed up by issuing a press release locally on this matter, and, after the news was reported, continued to spread this information throughout the related industry.
These behaviors have caused great concern and market disruption among manufacturers who use Polytronics' products, and caused substantial damages to the goodwill and business operation of Polytronics. In response to these acts of unfair competition by Littlefuse, Polytronics has filed a complaint with the Fair Trade Commission, requesting that adequate relief be granted.
As for the patent lawsuit filed by Littelfuse in the U.S., Polytronics has retained patent attorneys to conduct an in-depth review and assessment, and has confirmed that Polytronics' products did not infringe Littelfuse's U.S. patent. Therefore, Littelfuse's lawsuit lacks merit. Polytronics' legal counsel intends to participate in the defense of the U.S. lawsuit so as to clarify the facts and to safeguard its legitimate interests.
In addition, an intensive investigation has revealed that the SMD 1812 Series of PTC products manufactured and sold by Littelfuse and Littelfuse S&L are substantially similar to a ROC patent of Polytronics. An assessment conducted by a professional institute jointly certified by the Judicial Yuan and Executive Yuan has confirmed that those products of Littelfuse and Littelfuse S&L infringe upon Polytronics' ROC Patent (Publication No. 415624, entitled "Surface Mounted Electrical Apparatus"). Due to the above-described patent infringement by Littelfuse and Littelfuse S&L, upon Polytronics' petition, the court in Taiwan has granted a preliminary injunction, enjoining Littelfuse and Littelfuse S&L from manufacturing, selling or marketing the infringing products.
Polytronics has vowed to use all appropriate legal proceedings to pursue liability for violations of its legal rights in this matter.
About Polytronics Technology Corp.
Polytronics is located in the Hsinchu Science-based Industrial Park, and is the first PTC manufacturer in Taiwan to perform R&D, product design and mass production on an integrated basis. With its commitment and devotion to technological innovations, Polytronics is emerging in an environment teeming with competition from various large-size multinationals.
Polytronics has also obtained counterpart patents in Japan, Germany and France for the above-described ROC Patent, for which a U.S. counterpart application is now in process. Due to its prominence in the areas of low power consumption, resettability, reliability and cost efficiency, Polytronics' products have been widely accepted by the industry.
Members of Polytronics' technical team hold numerous Ph.D.s, have profound academic backgrounds and practical experiences, and fully appreciate the value and significance of intellectual property. Polytronics has always respected the intellectual property rights of other parties, and is dedicated to safeguard its own intellectual property as well. For those reasons, Polytronics has stated its intention to take all necessary actions to counter any acts of unfair competition or infringement by any competitors, so as to protect the interests and legal rights of Polytronics and its customers.