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FormFactor Sues Micro-Probe for Patent Infringement

^{Published on 2010-07-15 06:15:55 - Market Wire}
 

LIVERMORE, CA--(Marketwire - July 15, 2010) - FormFactor, Inc. (NASDAQ: [ FORM ]), an industry leader in the design, development and manufacture of semiconductor wafer probe cards, today announced the filing of a patent infringement lawsuit against Micro-Probe Incorporated. The lawsuit, filed in federal district court in California, charges Micro-Probe is willfully infringing six US patents that cover aspects of FormFactor's proprietary technology and wafer probe cards. The complaint also includes allegations directed to breach of confidence and unfair competition.

"FormFactor is committed to delivering products to semiconductor manufacturers that lower their overall cost of test, and we invest many millions of dollars in research and development to drive product innovation," stated Carl Everett, FormFactor CEO. "Like all innovative companies in the semiconductor industry, we have an obligation to our shareholders to protect our R&D investment and take action against those we believe infringe our IP rights. IP protection provides a critical incentive for the continued development and delivery of breakthrough innovations that drive long term growth in the semiconductor industry."

The complaint seeks both injunctive relief and money damages and alleges Micro-Probe's infringement of FormFactor's US Patent No. 6,441,315 for "Contact Structures With Blades Having A Wiping Motion," US Patent No. 6,825,422 for "Interconnection Element With Contact Blade," US Patent No. 6,965,244 for "High Performance Probe System," US Patent No. 7,227,371 for "High Performance Probe System," US Patent No. 6,246,247 for "Probe Card Assembly and Kit, and Methods of Using Same," and US Patent No. 6,624,648 for "Probe Card Assembly."

The complaint also seeks injunctive relief and damages against Micro-Probe for unfair competition and further includes claims directed against a former employee for breach of confidence relative to FormFactor's confidential and propriety information and against the former employee and Micro-Probe for conspiring to breach that confidence.

About FormFactor:
Founded in 1993, FormFactor, Inc. (NASDAQ: [ FORM ]) is the leader in advanced wafer probe cards, which are used by semiconductor manufacturers to electrically test integrated circuits, or ICs. The company's wafer sort, burn-in and device performance testing products move IC testing upstream from post-packaging to the wafer level, enabling semiconductor manufacturers to lower their overall production costs, improve yields, and bring next-generation devices to market. FormFactor is headquartered in Livermore, California with operations in Europe, Asia and North America. For more information, visit the company's website at [ www.formfactor.com ].

FormFactor and the FormFactor logo are registered trademarks of FormFactor, Inc. All other product, trademark, company or service names mentioned herein are the property of their respective owners.

Forward-looking Statements
Statements in this press release that are not strictly historical in nature are forward-looking statements within the meaning of the federal securities laws, including statements regarding business momentum, demand for our products and future growth. These forward-looking statements are based on current information and expectations that are inherently subject to change and involve a number of risks and uncertainties. Actual events or results might differ materially from those in any forward-looking statement due to various factors, including, the ruling on any substantive issue in the U.S. action, including the Company's patent infringement claims and any challenges to the validity or enforceability of an asserted FormFactor patent; and any appeal of those decisions. Additional information concerning factors that could cause actual events or results to differ materially from those in any forward-looking statement is contained in the company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 26, 2009, as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC"), and subsequent SEC filings, including the company's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for its fiscal quarterly period ending March 27, 2010. Copies of the company's SEC filings are available at [ http://investors.formfactor.com/edgar.cfm ]. The company assumes no obligation to update the information in this press release, to revise any forward-looking statements or to update the reasons actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in forward-looking statements.