Lawsuit Claims SATA Paint System Infringes 3M Patent

3M announced today that its wholly owned subsidiary in Germany, 3M Deutschland GmbH, has filed an intellectual property infringement suit in the District Court of Duesseldorf against SATA Farbspritztechnik GmbH & Co.; KG and SATA Verwaltungs-GmbH; and Mr. Albrecht Kruse, general manager, SATA Verwaltungs-GmbH. SATA is a provider of spray equipment, such as paint spray guns and disposable cups for mixing, painting, refilling and paint storage. The suit alleges that SATA’s activity in Germany relating to the manufacture and sale of its RPS paint spray system infringes 3M’s German utility models (DE 20023419U, DE 20321212U, DE 29825120U) covering the innovative 3M PPS Paint Preparation System used for mixing and preparing refinish material prior to spraying. German utility models are intellectual property rights effective in Germany which are registered without substantive examination by the Patent Office. 3M has thoroughly checked the validity of the utility models and is convinced that they are valid. The suit is presently pending before the District Court of Duesseldorf. The court has scheduled proceedings for Sept. 25, 2007. The suit is in accordance with 3M’s corporate intellectual property policy for the protection of its substantial investment in research and development by obtaining, maintaining and enforcing patent, copyright, trade secret and similar rights in inventions or works of authorship resulting from research and development. About 3M - A Global, Diversified Technology Company Every day, 3M people find new ways to make amazing things happen. Wherever they are, whatever they do, the company’s customers know they can rely on 3M to help make their lives better. 3M's brands include Scotch, Post-it, Scotchgard, Thinsulate, Scotch-Brite, Filtrete, Command and Vikuiti. Serving customers in more than 200 countries around the world, the people of 3M use their expertise, technologies and global strength to lead in major markets including consumer and office; display and graphics; electronics and telecommunications; safety, security and protection services; health care; industrial and transportation. 3M, PPS, Scotch, Post-it, Scotchgard, Thinsulate, Scotch-Brite, Filtrete, Command and Vikuiti are trademarks of 3M.