U.S. Patent & Trademark Office Issues Final Rejection of All Claims in Funai's '074 Patent

IRVINE, Calif., March 13 /PRNewswire/ -- VIZIO, Inc., America's HDTV and Consumer Electronics Company, announced today that the United States Patent & Trademark Office (USPTO) has issued a second rejection of all claims in Funai Electric Co.'s United States Patent No. 6,115,074.

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"Based on this final rejection by the USPTO, we believe that Funai's '074 patent will ultimately be deemed invalid," stated Rob L. Brinkman, VIZIO's VP Operations and Administration.

"We are pleased that after reexamination of Funai's claims, the USPTO has issued a second rejection of Funai's '074 patent just as they had done earlier with their 5,329,369 patent. These decisions reaffirm our policy to respect the rights of intellectual property holders, 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 vigorously defend ourselves in actions such as these as we see appropriate," 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, Fast Company's Top 10 Most Innovative CE Companies, 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.

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