HONEYWELL SETTLES PATENT INFRINGEMENT

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HONEYWELL SETTLES PATENT INFRINGEMENT
12 November 2004 - Honeywell Specialty Materials

Honeywell has settled out of court with a US-based company that imported and sold refrigerant products infringing its patents.

Details of the settlement, which included payment to Honeywell and the name of the infringer, were not disclosed. Honeywell also stated that it is continuing to investigate other companies importing or selling unlicensed refrigerant products covered by its patents.

According to Honeywell, the settled case involved a company importing and selling R-404A and R-408A, among other refrigerant products, that it received from a foreign broker. The broker claimed to have licenses for these products, but after careful investigation, this claim proved to be untrue. “In this particular case, the company was a victim of misrepresentation,” said David Metcalf, Marketing Manager for Honeywell Genetron refrigerants. Therefore we decided not to publicly disclose its identity.

“We welcome honest and fair competition, said Jeremy Steinfink, Business Director for refrigerants. However, we have invested substantial resources in the development of Honeywell’s refrigerant patent portfolio. We will take all actions necessary to protect this intellectual property.”

Steinfink continued: “Many wholesalers, contractors and facility owners appear to be under the mistaken belief that just because they did not actually import the product, they are not liable for patent infringement. In actuality, by reselling or using an infringing product, they are also liable.”

According to Honeywell, its patent portfolio relates to a number of refrigerants, including R-404A, R-408A, R-410A, R-507, R-245fa and R-236fa. Honeywell stated that refrigerant wholesalers and air conditioning and refrigeration contractors can avoid unintentional patent infringement by fully investigating the source of virgin and reclaimed refrigerant products to ensure the product is properly licensed under all applicable patents.

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About: Honeywell Specialty Materials
Specialty Materials, a US$3.2-billion dollar strategic business group of Honeywell, is a world leader in high-performance speciality materials such as fluorocarbons, speciality films, advanced fibres, customized research chemicals and intermediates. It is also one of the top five providers of materials and solutions to the semiconductor industry, and a major producer of nylon 6 in North America.

Based in Morristown, New Jersey, the business has approximately 10 000 employees and 45 manufacturing and sales facilities. The business serves diverse market segments including automotive, healthcare, agricultural, electronic and food packaging, polymers and plastics, personal care, air conditioning and refrigeration, security coding, lubricants, paper and packaging, semiconductor, paints and coatings, commercial and residential carpet, as well as body and vehicle protection.

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