Company contact:
Barnas Monteith
Kinik USA
12 Inman St., Suite 15
Cambridge, MA 02139
e-mail: bmonteith@kinikusa.com
Kinik-USA Contact Form
Kinik Prevails with U.S. International Trade Commission in Patent Dispute Against 3M
Cambridge, MA --(BUSINESS WIRE)—July 23, 2004--Kinik announced today a legal victory in a patent dispute with 3M of Minneapolis, Minnesota. Kinik has been notified that the United States International Trade Commission, or ITC, has reversed the Limited Exclusion Order on Kinik DiaGrid(tm) Pad Conditioner products and is now able to import and distribute their products in the United States. The ITC reversal is based on the determination by the U.S Federal Court of Appeals that Kinik’s long practiced vacuum braze technology used in their fixed matrix placement diamond abrasive products does not violate of the patent rights asserted by 3M which cover methods for making sintered abrasive products.
The 3M patent(U.S. Patent 5,620,489) is owned by Ultimate Abrasive Systems, LLC (UAS) and is licensed to 3M. 3M and UAS filed a complaint with the ITC in January 2001 alleging that Kinik's importation and sale of DiaGrid and other abrasive products in the United States infringes that patent. The ITC, based on an Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) Initial Determination, ruled in favor of 3M and in full compliance with the ITC ruling, Kinik in July of 2002, removed DiaGrid products from sale in the US. With the reversal of this decision, the DiaGrid product restriction has been lifted.
Mr. Frank Lin, Chairman of Kinik Company, commented: "The Kinik Company recently celebrated our 50 year anniversary. During this period we have invested heavily in the development of abrasive technology especially in the area of fixed placement vacuum braze technology used in semiconductor chemical and mechanical polishing (CMP) processes. We are very pleased with this determination from the ITC which recognizes our own patented technology. Kinik has been totally vindicated from the 3M allegations and this decision insures that we will be able to continue to fully support our worldwide customers.”
About Kinik Company
Kinik Company is a highly innovative and technology-based corporation that is active worldwide in the field of super abrasive products. Kinik has a wide range of bonded or coated abrasive products, diamond and CBN tools. Founded in 1953, the company is headquartered in Taipei City, Taiwan and is the largest manufacturer of abrasive products in Southeast Asia. Kinik Company can be found on the Internet at http://www.kinik.com
* Kinik Company, DiaGrid and DiaTrix are trademarks of Kinik Company; all other trademarks mentioned are held by their respective owners.
