Latest on Shimano Versus SRAM

AMERSFOORT, NUNSPEET, Netherlands (September 2) - After the first court case, dealing with the infringement of Shimano patents on the 'Hyper Glide' technology, SRAM and the other defendants were bound to stop 'manufacture, offer, sell, market and use' of the 'Powerglide II' brand cassettes in Germany. The Munich District Court on the basis of SRAM not respecting the intellectual property of Shimano, on June 11, 2003, made this ruling. Now a second ruling, dated August 11, 2003 more or less takes the same direction with regard to all SRAM's X-series 'Trigger' shifters. In this case also, the Munich District Court has decided that pending further trials all Trigger shifters are to be withheld from the German market. So far the ruling does not affect any SRAM Trigger shifters that are sold outside of Germany. However, because Shimano owns European patents on its shifters technology, it is expected that also in other EU member states the same ruling will be applied. SRAM stated in a recent letter to its customers that in designing its Trigger shifters the company took careful measures to avoid Shimano's intellectual property. "SRAM believes the court's decision to issue a preliminary injunction was hasty," says the letter that also stipulates that SRAM will comply with the court's rulings. According to Shimano SRAM had time to react to the Court. There will be a further court hearing towards the end of September when for the first time SRAM will be able to present their case in full to the German court. According to SRAM this has not been the case as yet and this hearing will clarify the matter of patent infringement. (MH)