AAROFLEX RESPONDS TO ALLEGED LITIGATION
For further information:
K. Kaisha Halcli, Vice President
703.573.0690 - khalcli@aaroflex.com
FAIRFAX, VIRGINIA, USA, January 14, 1997 - AAROFLEX, Inc. has received
numerous inquiries related to the lawsuit reportedly filed by an industry
competitor alleging infringement and unfair competition by our company. As
has been true since our entry in the marketplace, we are committed to
avoiding illusion and being open, honest and thorough, with our customers
and competitors alike, related to our technology, our equipment and our
business activities.
The general concept of "stereolithography" is not protected under any
patents held by the companies manufacturing commercially-available rapid
prototyping systems. The partial concept, previously referred to as
"photo-glyph recording" by patent holder Otto John Munz, was first
introduced to the public domain upon the expiration of his US patent
2,775,758 in 1973. Articles published by the Japanese researcher Hideo
Kodama in 1981 and 3M's (not to be confused with 3D) Alan J. Herbert in 1982
further established the concept as public domain material. Patent
infringement in the area of stereolithography, then, entails infringement in
the specific mechanics, not the more general functions and features, of a
stereolithography system -- somewhat similar to the product differentiations
in the makes and models of cars, computers or coffee makers. The extensive
patent protection in this area which has been awarded the I.E. DuPont de
Nemours and Company (DuPont) and 3D Systems, Inc. complemented by the
current applications of AAROFLEX, Inc. serve to solidify and protect these
companies' dominance in the stereolithography marketplace in the United States.
AAROFLEX, Inc. acquired certain patent rights to the DuPont solid imaging
("stereolithography") technology in 1995. Since 1993, AAROFLEX, Inc. and
its predecessor organization have been developing new subsystems and, as a
result, AAROFLEX, Inc. has several patent applications in process. To date,
AAROFLEX has received no cease and desist letters from any competitor
related to our technology nor has AAROFLEX been served with any formal
complaints. No competitor has viewed AAROFLEX technology or any of our
commercial systems currently in production. Therefore, any lawsuit alleging
infringement by our equipment would be based upon assumption -- not fact.
When, and if, AAROFLEX receives service of a formal complaint, we will issue
a public statement and will aggressively defend the interests of our
customers, our company, and the healthy competitive environment of this
industry. We continue to look forward to contributing to the advancement
and growth of rapid prototyping technologies and applications and will
endeavor to continue business as usual. AAROFLEX welcomes the opportunity,
once and for all, to clarify our position in the marketplace and prove our
technology and equipment among the users of rapid prototyping technologies.
AAROFLEX, Inc. is manufacturer of the AAROFLEX Solid Imager, a rapid
prototyping system, based upon the public domain concept which has come to
be called "stereolithography", the patented advancements of DuPont and the
further enhancements of AAROFLEX, Inc.
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