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Garmin Announces Ruling in German Patent Infringement Case

^{Published on 2010-12-23 04:41:15 - Market Wire}
 

SCHAFFHAUSEN, Switzerland--([ BUSINESS WIRE ])--Garmin Ltd. (NASDAQ:GRMN) announced today that the District Court of Dsseldorf has issued a ruling in the patent litigation initiated by Pioneer Corporation.

"The ruling by the District Court of Dsseldorf regarding the narrow functionality at issue does not change Garmina™s view that that Pioneera™s patents do not cover any important features found in Garmina™s modern navigation products"

The Courta™s ruling, which is subject to appeal, found that the two patents asserted by Pioneer are infringed by certain Garmin software functionality. Garmin has already developed minor software revisions that eliminate the narrow functionality at issue in the litigation. Because these software revisions may be quickly implemented in Garmin products, the Courta™s ruling is not expected to have any impact on Garmina™s ability to continue importing and selling its products. Garmin has also filed a lawsuit in the German Federal Patent Court in Munich to invalidate both patents asserted by Pioneer in the Dsseldorf action based on prior inventions by others.

aThe ruling by the District Court of Dsseldorf regarding the narrow functionality at issue does not change Garmina™s view that that Pioneera™s patents do not cover any important features found in Garmina™s modern navigation products,a said Andrew Etkind, Garmina™s vice president and general counsel.

The Courta™s ruling is the second recent decision in Pioneera™s litigation campaign against Garmin. In the first ruling, issued by the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) on December 16, 2010, the ITC Administrative Law Judgea™s Initial Determination found that Garmina™s products do not infringe any of the three U.S. patents that were asserted by Pioneer in the ITC proceedings.

About Garmin

The global leader in satellite navigation, Garmin Ltd. and its subsidiaries have designed, manufactured, marketed and sold navigation, communication and information devices and applications since 1989 a" most of which are enabled by GPS technology. Garmina™s products serve automotive, mobile, wireless, outdoor recreation, marine, aviation, and OEM applications. Garmin Ltd. is incorporated in Switzerland, and its principal subsidiaries are located in the United States, Taiwan and the United Kingdom. For more information, visit Garmin's virtual pressroom at [ www.garmin.com/newsroom ] or contact the Media Relations department at 913-397-8200. Garmin is a registered trademark of Garmin Ltd. All other brands, product names, company names, trademarks and service marks are the properties of their respective owners. All rights reserved.

Notice on Forward-Looking Statements: This release includes forward-looking statements regarding Garmin Ltd. and its business. Such statements are based on managementa™s current expectations. The forward-looking events and circumstances discussed in this release may not occur and actual results could differ materially as a result of known and unknown risk factors and uncertainties affecting Garmin, including, but not limited to, the risk factors listed in the Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended June 26, 2010, filed by Garmin with the Securities and Exchange Commission (Commission file number 0-31983). A copy of such Form 10-Q is available at [ www.garmin.com/aboutGarmin/invRelations/finReports.html ]. No forward-looking statement can be guaranteed. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date on which they are made and Garmin undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise.