BUFFALO, New York, Apr 14, 2003 (BUSINESS WIRE) --
Williams Advanced Materials Inc. announced today that it has filed suit in United States District Court in the Western District of New York against Target Technology Company, LLC of Irvine, California.
The legal action seeks to enjoin Target Technology from further acts of unfair competition, including a recent practice of communicating false and misleading statements to Williams' customers. Additionally, Williams Advanced Materials has asked the Court for a declaration that it has not infringed or caused any of its customers to infringe any valid patent rights of Target Technology.
Williams Advanced Materials Inc. is a leading manufacturer, refiner and supplier of metals and metal alloys, including "sputtering targets" used in the production of optical media such as digital video discs (DVDs).
Since 2000, Williams has been licensed by Target Technology to manufacture certain alloys for use in the production of the reflective and semi-reflective layers formed on DVDs. In 2002, Williams Advanced Materials introduced a newly developed alloy under its Sil-X(TM) trademark, which has shown superior performance and cost characteristics for the same application. The Sil-X(TM) material is not subject to the provisions of the license agreement with Target Technology Company. Williams Advanced Materials filed a provisional patent application for Sil-X(TM) prior to its commercial introduction.
Commenting on the legal action, Richard W. Sager, President, Williams Advanced Materials, stated, "We are extremely pleased with the performance of our new Sil-X(TM) alloy. This material has already been qualified and is being used in production volumes at key DVD replicators. While we are very confident that the performance benefits of Sil-X(TM) will drive additional market growth, we are also aggressively pursuing all appropriate legal actions to prevent others from engaging in acts aimed at unfairly harming our business."
Williams Advanced Materials Inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary of Brush Engineered Materials Inc., (NYSE-BW) headquartered in Cleveland. Brush Engineered Materials, through its wholly owned subsidiaries, supplies worldwide markets with beryllium products, alloy products, electronic products, precious metal products, and engineered material systems.
Investors:
Brush Engineered Materials Inc.
Michael C. Hasychak, 216/383-6823
www.beminc.com
or
Media:
Williams Advanced Materials Inc.
Scott Haluska, 716/837-1000
www.williams-adv.com
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