Harman International Wins Patent Dispute in German Federal Court

Harman International Industries, Inc (NYSE:HAR) announced today that in a patent dispute in Germany between Siemens AG and the Company’s Harman Becker Automotive Systems subsidiary, the German Federal Patent Court had revoked all patent claims asserted by Siemens against Harman’s automotive infotainment products. The patent claims covered several aspects of Bluetooth® enabled hands-free telephony embodied in Harman products. The dispute began nearly three years ago when Siemens asserted European Patent EP-B1-1 052 384 against Harman’s infotainment products in Germany. Following unsuccessful license negotiations, Siemens filed a patent infringement complaint with the Regional Court in Düsseldorf and Harman responded by filing a nullity complaint with the Federal Patent Court. The Regional Court ruled in September 2007 that the patent based on the granted claims was infringed by certain Harman infotainment products. Siemens then provisionally enforced the injunction ordered by the court, despite Harman’s appeal and its pending nullity complaint. Following the court’s recent decision, Harman has resumed selling its broad range of aftermarket infotainment systems with full Bluetooth enabled hands-free functionality. "We are pleased to once again be able to sell our aftermarket infotainment products with full hands-free functionality in the German market,” said Dr. Erich Geiger, Harman Chief Technology Officer. "Harman Becker as a market leader in this segment has suffered substantial damages from Siemens’ provisional enforcement of the injunction.” "It is very satisfactory that the Federal Patent Court has confirmed our initial position of invalidity of the patent claims,” said Dr. Tim Bast, European Intellectual Property Counsel for Harman. "Harman takes great care in designing products that do not infringe upon the valid patent claims of others.” Harman International Industries, Incorporated (www.harman.com) designs, manufactures and markets a wide range of audio and infotainment products for the automotive, consumer and professional markets. The Company maintains a strong presence in the Americas, Europe and Asia and employs more than 11,000 people worldwide. The Harman International family of brands spans some 15 leading names including AKG®, Audioaccess®, Becker®, BSS®, Crown®, dbx®, DigiTech®, Harman Kardon®, Infinity®, JBL®, Lexicon®, Mark Levinson®, Revel®, QNX®, Soundcraft® and Studer®. The Company’s stock is traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the Symbol HAR.