FARO FARO Technologies Inc

ROMER CimCore Obtains Summary Judgment of Patent Infringement Against FARO in Federal District Court ROMER Seeking Injunction Against FARO Products NORTH KINGSTOWN, R.I., July 19 /PRNewswire/ -- ROMER(R) CimCore(R), a Hexagon Metrology(TM) company, successfully obtained summary judgment of patent infringement against FARO Technologies, Inc., Lake Mary, Florida (NASDAQ:FARO). In its decision dated July 11, 2005, the United States District Court for the Southern District of California found that FARO's articulated FaroArms(R) infringe each of claims 1, 2, & 3 of ROMER's U.S. Patent No. 5,829,148, issued on November 3, 1998 to Homer Eaton. (CimCore Corp., et al. v. Faro Technologies, Inc., Civil Action No. 03-CV-2355 B(WMc)). The Court also denied FARO's cross motion for summary judgment of noninfringement. This ruling is the latest major victory for ROMER in this case. In November of 2004, during the pretrial "Markman" hearing, the District Court adopted a claim construction consistent with ROMER's position, paving the way for the ruling of infringement by FARO. In addition to seeking damages resulting from FARO's past and present patent infringement, ROMER is also pursuing an injunction against FARO's infringing FaroArm(R) products. Not only does the FaroArm(R) infringe Romer's patent, but ROMER has recently learned that the FARO Gage(TM) and FARO Gage Plus(TM) products also incorporate ROMER's patented infinite rotation technology. ROMER has added these additional products to the pending case and will also seek damages and an injunction regarding FARO's manufacture, use, and sale of these products. The two companies are the largest manufacturers of "portable arm" measurement devices, which are used by engineers to design and inspect a variety of manufactured products. These CMM products represent both companies' primary line of business. FARO has been making and selling the infringing FaroArm(R) for several years. In the patent infringement suit, ROMER accuses FARO of infringing ROMER's U.S. Patent No. 5,829,148, which claims a coordinate measurement machine (or "CMM") having infinite rotation in each of its three swiveling joints. The infinite rotation of the joints allows them to swivel endlessly without ever encountering a stopping point. CMMs without ROMER's patented infinite rotation technology eventually encounter a hard stop and must be "unwound." Infinite rotation is a significant advantage on a manual device such as a CMM - allowing better accessibility to measurement locations and never requiring the user to stop and "unwind" the arm. Earlier settlement talks between ROMER and FARO have failed to result in any agreement. A jury trial is scheduled to commence on November 22, 2005. ROMER will thereafter be entitled to a permanent injunction preventing FARO from selling its infringing products, unless FARO succeeds in invalidating the patent. ROMER has not ruled out the possibility of seeking a preliminary injunction against FARO in order to protect ROMER's right to the exclusive use of this valuable patented technology pending trial. William Gruber, Hexagon Metrology North America's President, stated that, "ROMER has now prevailed on its infringement case. We are confident that ROMER will obtain an injunction and recover substantial damages as a result of FARO's infringement of our patented technology, despite FARO's attempt to delay the resolution of this matter by involving the U.S. Patent Office in a re-examination of the patent." ROMER CimCore Inc. designs and manufactures portable coordinate measurement machines. The company is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Measurement group of Sweden's Hexagon AB (Stockholmsborsen: HEXA A), the world's largest provider of precision dimensional measurement hardware and software. http://www.hexagon.se/ Romer, CimCore and Hexagon Metrology are Trademarks of Hexagon AB and its subsidiaries. FaroArm is a Trademark of Faro Technologies, Inc. DATASOURCE: Hexagon Metrology North America CONTACT: Media, Bill Fetter of Hexagon Metrology North America, +1-920-906-7514 Web site: http://www.hexagon.se/

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