Administrative Law Judge Rules in Favor of Knowles on the Issue of Patent Infringement by Analog Devices, Inc.

WASHINGTON, Tuesday, November 23rd 2010 [ME NewsWire]:

(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Judge Rogers of the International Trade Commission issued his Initial Determination holding that certain MEMS microphone products of Analog Devices are covered by the language of Knowles’ U.S. Patents 6,781,231 and 7,242,089, ruling against Analog Devices on the issue of infringement.

Jeffrey Niew, Chief Executive Officer of Knowles Electronics, stated that, “The Judge made the right decision by ruling in favor of Knowles Electronics on the issue of infringement. This ruling is consistent with our view of the merits of this case.”

For the time being, Analog Devices will be able to import products into the United States, due to the Judge’s ruling on the issue of validity. In response to this ruling, Mike Adell, VP and General Manager, stated, “We are obviously disappointed in the Judge’s finding and will be requesting that the ITC Commission review this issue. Despite this ruling, Knowles has and will continue to develop innovative solutions for our customers. Protection of these solutions and intellectual property from unlawful infringement is of great importance to our business, and we will pursue all available remedies in order to do so."

The patents remain valid and enforceable before the U.S. Courts, and are part of a large international portfolio of patents and pending applications which are related to Knowles’ award-winning microphone package technologies. Pete Loeppert, Chief Technical Officer of Knowles Acoustics, added, “Although these patents are currently under review by the Patent Office, some of our patent claims have not been attacked and their validity is, accordingly, confirmed.

The re-examination process has also afforded us the opportunity to add additional claims to strengthen our patent positions. We are confident that once the re-examination process is complete, the Patent Office will confirm its original finding of validity on the limited claims that had been rejected, and that all claims of the Knowles patents will be confirmed as valid and enforceable.”

About Knowles

Founded 65 years ago in Itasca, IL, Knowles is the leading designer and manufacturer of advanced acoustic components. In addition to being the market leader for components to the global hearing aid industry, Knowles is also the leading provider of MEMS surface mount microphones to major cell phone brands and consumer electronic devices the world over. For more information visit the Knowles website at www.knowles.com or call 1-630-250-5100.

All product and trade names are recognized as the property of their respective owners.

For media enquiries, please contact:

Knowles Mike Adell, 630-250-5100