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LORD Corporation -- a leader in vibration and motion control products and solutions for defense, aerospace and commercial markets -- filed suit in 2009 against Active Shock (recently acquired by General Kinetics Engineering Corporation) in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina (civil action number 5:09-CV-00318).  In this suit, LORD Corporation asserts certain patent infringement and false advertising as well as unfair and deceptive trade practices claims.  

Specifically, LORD Corporation claims infringement of its three U.S. patents entitled:  "Vibration Attenuating Method Utilizing Continuously Variable Semiactive Damper,"  "End Stop Control Method," and "System for Reducing Suspension End Stop Collisions."  LORD Corporation has taken this action to protect its intellectual property for these high-value, enabling technologies and to ensure that LORD Magneto-Rheological (MR) and adaptive suspension technology is accurately represented to customers.  

LORD Corporation's MR and adaptive suspension technology has been thoroughly proven through the licensing and broad intellectual property portfolio used in developing Delphi's MagneRide™ suspension system (now part of BWI Group).  First introduced on the 2002 Corvette, more than 500,000 devices appear in more than a dozen models from a wide range of manufacturers including Audi, Acura, Ferrari, GM, Holden and Honda.  The rapid acceptance of the technology by a wide range of manufacturers, from high-performance sports cars to SUVs, demonstrates the confidence the automotive industry has in the performance, reliability and durability of LORD technology.

LORD MR technology is based on commercial proprietary and patented fluid, damper, mount, brake and clutch designs and sophisticated computer control algorithms. When exposed to a magnetic field, MR materials change state nearly instantaneously and with complete reversibility. As a result, MR technology provides fast and infinitely variable control of energy dissipation for industrial and automotive devices. As the only provider of commercial MR fluids with more than 110 MR fluid, device, and controller algorithm patents worldwide, LORD is the largest manufacturer of MR devices and systems.  For information about LORD MR applications, visit www.lord.com/mr.

With headquarters in Cary, N.C., USA, and sales in excess of  $700-MM, LORD Corporation is a privately-held company that designs, manufactures and markets devices and systems to manage mechanical motion and control noise and vibration; formulates, produces and sells general purpose and specialty adhesives and coatings; and develops products and systems utilizing magnetically responsive technologies. With manufacturing in nine countries and offices in more than 15 major business centers, LORD Corporation employs more than 2,500 worldwide. Visit www.lord.com for more information.  

Leggett & Platt, Incorporated (NYSE: LEG), a diversified manufacturer of engineered components including the Virtu® line of superwide digital printers for solid and textile substrates, has won an agreement to dismissal of a lawsuit by Vutek, Inc. which challenged the validity of two of Leggett & Platt's U.S. patents on Leggett's groundbreaking technology for ultraviolet (UV) curing of ink in superwide format ink jet printers. Vutek agreed to withdraw its challenges to the validity of both of the Leggett patents.

Vutek, a subsidiary of Electronics For Imaging, Inc. (EFI), sued Leggett & Platt in federal court for the Eastern District of Missouri in November 2007, initially alleging invalidity of Leggett's U.S. Patent No. 7,290,874 and later of Leggett's U.S. Patent No. 7,520,602. These patents were based on Leggett's invention of revolutionary methods for quickly curing UV ink under the print head of superwide ink jet printers. The U.S. Patent & Trademark Office issued one of the patents after full review of an earlier appellate court decision declaring a related patent invalid, thus recognizing the importance of Leggett's invention of the first practical 'on the printhead' UV ink curing technology for superwide inkjet printers. The leading printing association, the Specialty Graphic Imaging Association ("SGIA"), also recognized Leggett's pioneering technology by awarding the 2006 DPI Innovator Award to Leggett's inventor, Mr. Richard Codos.

FOR MORE INFORMATION: Visit Leggett's website at www.leggett.com.

COMPANY DESCRIPTION: Leggett & Platt (NYSE: LEG) is a FORTUNE 500 diversified manufacturer that conceives, designs and produces a broad variety of engineered components and products that can be found in most homes, offices, and automobiles. The company serves a broad suite of customers that comprise a "Who's Who" of U.S. manufacturers and retailers. The 126-year-old firm is comprised of 19 business units, 19,000 employee-partners, and more than 160 manufacturing facilities located in 18 countries.

Leggett & Platt is North America's leading independent manufacturer of: a) components for residential furniture and bedding; b) components for office furniture; c) drawn steel wire; d) automotive seat support and lumbar systems; e) carpet underlay; f) adjustable beds; and g) bedding industry machinery for wire forming, sewing and quilting.

SOURCE Leggett & Platt

Simmons Bedding Company ("Simmons" or the "Company") a leading manufacturer of premium-branded bedding products, today announced that Tempur-Pedic Management, Inc. and Tempur-Pedic North America, LLC (collectively, "Tempur-Pedic") have agreed to voluntarily dismiss the patent infringement lawsuit that Tempur-Pedic filed on June 10, 2009 in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Virginia. The suit named 17 mattress manufacturers, including Simmons and its subsidiary, The Simmons Manufacturing Co., LLC.

The Tempur-Pedic lawsuit alleged that two Simmons products infringed its U.S. Patent No. 7,507,468, titled "Laminated Visco-Elastic Support" (the "'468 Patent"). Simmons denied Tempur-Pedic's allegations of infringement and in addition, requested that the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (the "USPTO") reexamine the validity of the '468 Patent.

Tempur-Pedic cited Simmons' request that the USPTO reexamine the validity of the '468 Patent as the impetus for its decision to dismiss the lawsuit. Pursuant to the terms of the settlement agreement, the lawsuit will be dismissed without prejudice subject to the court's entry of a stipulated order.

Stephen G. Fendrich, President and Chief Operating Officer of Simmons, said, "We're pleased that Tempur-Pedic has made the decision to end this legal action against Simmons. We maintain that the '468 Patent is not valid and its review by the USPTO through the reexamination process remains pending."

Atlanta-based Simmons Bedding Company is one of the world's largest mattress manufacturers, manufacturing and marketing a broad range of products including Beautyrest®, Beautyrest Black®, Beautyrest Studio(TM), ComforPedic by Simmons(TM), ComforPedic Loft(TM), Natural Care®, Beautyrest Beginnings(TM) and BeautySleep®. Simmons Bedding operates 19 conventional bedding manufacturing facilities and one juvenile bedding manufacturing facility across the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico. Simmons Bedding also serves as a key supplier of beds to many of the world's leading hotel groups and resort properties. Simmons Bedding is committed to developing superior mattresses and promoting a higher quality sleep for consumers around the world. For more information, visit Simmons Bedding's website at www.simmons.com.

SOURCE Simmons Bedding Company

SunPower Corp. (Nasdaq: SPWRA, SPWRB) and SunLink Corporation today announced the two companies have settled a patent infringement case brought by SunPower before the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California. SunPower brought the lawsuit against SunLink in February 2008 asserting infringement of SunPower's patent rights covering its lightweight rooftop mounting products, SunPower® PowerGuard® and the SunPower® T10 Solar Roof Tile.

Under the terms of the settlement agreement, the specifics of which are confidential, SunLink has acknowledged the infringement of SunLink's MMS rooftop solar product as well as the validity and enforceability of SunPower's patent rights. For confidential consideration provided under the settlement, SunLink has received a license to SunPower's infringed patents.

"SunPower has a long history of developing industry-leading technology and we will take actions necessary to protect and enforce our intellectual property rights," said SunPower CEO Tom Werner. "We are glad to achieve a resolution to this lawsuit consistent with this objective."

"We are happy to bring this litigation to a close with an agreement that is not only beneficial to both parties, but also protects our current and future customers," said SunLink CEO Christopher Tilley. "With these licenses, we continue to add to SunLink's IP portfolio and are looking forward to introducing new, innovative photovoltaic mounting solutions to the market soon."

SunPower holds more than 120 patents for its innovative solar technology, including the world's most efficient solar cell and the recently launched SunPower® T5 Solar Roof Tile.

About SunPower

Founded in 1985, SunPower Corp. (Nasdaq: SPWRA, SPWRB) designs, manufactures and delivers the planet's most powerful solar technology broadly available today. Residential, business, government and utility customers rely on the company's experience and proven results to maximize return on investment. With headquarters in San Jose, Calif., SunPower has offices in North America, Europe, Australia and Asia. For more information, visit www.sunpowercorp.com.

About SunLink

SunLink Inc, based in San Rafael, CA, offers the solar industry's most comprehensive, highly engineered solar module mounting solutions. The company designs and manufactures rooftop and ground mounted systems for commercial and utility-scale installations, supporting modules from nearly every photovoltaic manufacturer. SunLink has been the chosen solution on more than 60 MW of projects spanning over 400 sites across North America. For more information about SunLink's history, product lines or engineering services, visit www.sunlink.com.

SOURCE SunPower Corp.