*NEWS*EPSON ALLEGES INK INFRINGEMENT

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Date: Monday February 27, 2006 10:43:00 am
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    Epson Alleges Ink Infringement
    Seiko
    Epson, Epson America, and Epson Portland have sued several companies
    for importing and/or distributing Epson ink cartridges throughout the
    United States without a proper license.

    In
    a complaint filed last week, Epson alleges that a total of 24 companies
    are aiding, abetting and knowingly inducing patent infringement by
    producing, importing and selling after-market Epson products without
    legal consent.
    “The list of companies against which we are asserting
    patent infringement claims….includes companies that manufacture in
    China, Germany, Korea and Mexico, as well as some U.S. companies that
    import cartridges,” said Pam Barnett Senior Manager, Public Relations
    and Events, Epson America Inc.
    According to Epson’s publicly filed
    District Court Complaint, the corporation alleges that the following
    import companies are infringing on its patents: Glory South Software,
    Nectron International, Mipo America, Nine Star Technology, Town Sky
    Inc., MMC Consumables, Inkjetwarehouse.com, Ribbon Tree (USA) Apex, Inc
    Tec (America), Dataproducts USA, Rhinotek and Acujet.
    In addition,
    Epson alleges that the following companies do not hold licenses to
    manufacture its ink cartridges for resale: Butterfly Print Image, Ink
    Lab, Mipo International, Nine Star Image, Zhuhai Gree Magneto-Electric,
    Tully Imaging Supplies, Wellink Trading Co., Ribbon Tree (Macao),
    Artech GmbH, Ink Tec (Korea) and Master Ink Co.
    Some large retail
    chains, such as CompUSA and Staples, buy ink from other firms and
    resell the ink cartridge — whiich the retailer marks as compatible
    with a certain make of printer — under its own house label. But
    Epson’s Barnett said it did not know if the companies named in its suit
    fell into that category.
    “We don’t know where all the major
    re-sellers obtain their cartridges but we know the companies named in
    the suit are large suppliers of aftermarket cartridges for Epson
    printers,” said Barnett. “We believe some resellers may change between
    suppliers.”
    Epson maintains that the patent infringement has caused
    irreparable damages. The company is seeking repayment for past damages
    — with interest — as well as attorneys’ fees. In addition, the
    company is demanding a jury trial to put a stop to all alleged and
    illegal infringement activities, according to officials.

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