CALGARY, March 27 /CNW-PRN/ - Zi Corporation (NASDAQ: ZICA - news; TSE: ZIC - news)
filed a patent infringement lawsuit against Tegic Communications, Inc.
(``Tegic') on March 10, 1999. This lawsuit was the subject of a summary
judgment ruling that is now awaiting oral argument on appeal. Zi has obtained
a copy of a complaint for patent infringement (the ``Complaint') filed by
Tegic and Asian Communications Pty Ltd. (``Asian Communications'). The
Complaint, filed on March 21, 2000 in the United States District Court in the
Northern District of California, alleges that Zi Corporation and its
wholly-owned subsidiary, Zi Corporation of America, Inc., have infringed
certain United States patents licensed, assigned or owned by Tegic and Asian
Communications.
``Zi views the filing of the Complaint as a response by Tegic to Zi's own
patent infringement lawsuit brought against Tegic last year,' says Antoine
Blondeau, president and chief operating officer, Zi Corporation. ``In pushing
forward Zi's lawsuit against Tegic, we have been closely monitoring Tegic and
Asian Communications' patent positions on a worldwide basis. As a result, we
are well prepared to meet the allegations made by Tegic and Asian
Communications in the Complaint. Not only will Zi deny that there is any
basis for the allegations of infringement, Zi is prepared with evidence of the
invalidity of the patent claims underlying the Complaint; including evidence
that Tegic failed to present to the Patent and Trademark Office.'
The allegations made in the filed complaint relate only to claims of
infringement based on United States patents held by Asian Communications
and/or Tegic. Accordingly, Tegic's allegations of infringement relate only to
Zi's commercial activities in the United States.
Zi Corporation is a leading provider of embedded software technology and
educational products. The company's core product, eZiText(TM), connects people
to short messaging, email, e-commerce, web browsing, and similar applications
in almost any written language. Zi's strategic partners use the technology to
enable information and Internet appliances that meet the needs of consumers,
business, government and education systems. Zi supports its strategic
partners from offices in Calgary, Beijing, Hong Kong, San Francisco, Shenzhen
and Stockholm. A publicly traded company, Zi Corporation is listed on the
NASDAQ Stock Market (ZICA) and the Toronto Stock Exchange (ZIC).
Certain statements in this press release constitute forward-looking
statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act
of 1995. The information in this press release is based on Zi Corporation's
current expectation and assumptions, and is subject to a number of risks and
uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those
anticipated. Such risks include, among others, general business and economic
conditions and competitive actions as well as the risks and uncertainties
referred to in Zi Corporation's 20-F for the most recent calendar year.
SOURCE: Zi Corporation |
