Saturday, February 7, 2009

U.S. Patent Office Issues Second Rejection of All Claims in Funai's '369 Patent

IRVINE, Calif., Feb. 6 /PRNewswire/ -- VIZIO, Inc. announced today that the U.S. Patent Office has issued a second rejection of all claims in Funai Electric Co.'s United States Patent No. 5,329,369.

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20090204/LA66605LOGO)

"Based on this second rejection by the Patent Office, we believe that Funai's '369 patent will ultimately be deemed invalid by the Patent Office," stated Rob L. Brinkman, VIZIO's VP Operations and Administration.

"We are pleased that after reexamination of Funai's claims, the Patent Office has issued a second rejection of Funai's '369 patent. It is VIZIO's policy to respect the rights of intellectual property, thoroughly investigate all claims, and vigorously defend our legal rights when we feel a claim is invalid or not infringed. Unfortunately, we are not immune to lawsuits and we will defend ourselves as appropriate at all times," stated Laynie Newsome, VIZIO Co-Founder, VP Sales & Marketing Communications.

About VIZIO

VIZIO, Inc. "Where Vision Meets Value," headquartered in Irvine, California, is America's HDTV Company. In 2007, VIZIO skyrocketed to the top by becoming the #1 selling brand of flat panel HDTVs in North America and became the first American brand in over a decade to lead major categories in U.S. TV sales. VIZIO is committed to bringing feature-rich flat panel televisions to market at a value through practical innovation. VIZIO offers a broad range of award winning Plasma and LCD HDTVs including the new XVT series. VIZIO's products are found at Costco Wholesale, Sam's Club, Sears, Walmart, Target, BJ's Wholesale, and other retailers nationwide along with authorized online partners. VIZIO has won numerous awards including a #1 ranking in the Inc. 500 for Top Companies in Computers and Electronics, Good Housekeeping's Best Big-Screens, CNET's Top 10 Holiday Gifts, PC World's Best Buy among others. For more information, please call 888-VIZIOCE or visit on the web at www.VIZIO.com.

The V, VIZIO, Where Vision Meets Value names, phrase and symbols are trademarks or registered trademarks of VIZIO, Inc. All other trademarks may be the property of their respective holders.