VIZIO’s Award-Winning Legal Team Prevails In 10th NPE Case as the Nation’s Fight Against Patent Trolls Accelerates

-    Oplus Patent Ruled Invalid; Ruling marks the 10th notable recent VIZIO victory over Non-Practicing Entity (NPE) litigation
-    VIZIO Legal awarded as Southern California Legal Department of the Year (Technology)
-    U.S. Authorities step up investigations and look to take patent trolls to task

Irvine, CA – October 09, 2013 – Following the honor of being awarded as Southern California Legal Department of the Year (Technology) by the National Law Journal, VIZIO announces its 10th victory in a string of patent troll cases.  On October 3, 2013, the Hon. Mariana R. Pfaelzer of the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California granted summary judgment of invalidity and non-infringement on two patents held by Oplus Technologies, Ltd. in favor of VIZIO.

"This was not an overnight success.  This is an unquestionable result of VIZIO’s long term, demonstrated commitment against trolls.  The message to NPEs of all shapes and sizes is that VIZIO stands firmly against the abusive practices of the patent troll community and shall continue to fight vigorously against the shakedowns and meritless lawsuits that have no application to VIZIO products," said Jerry Huang, VIZIO General Counsel, Vice President of Legal Affairs.  "We are encouraged by the recent actions by the U.S. Supreme Court, FTC and the Obama administration regarding NPEs.  With those actions, a brighter light is focused on patent trolls and their practices.  The recent ruling in the Oplus case is yet another vindication of VIZIO’s position, in an ever-growing list of VIZIO victories in battling patent trolls and the apparent extortion attempts,” stated Mr. Huang.

The Oplus Technologies ruling marks the tenth notable recent VIZIO victory against NPEs.  These exemplary VIZIO wins are listed below in alphabetical order:

•    Advanced Display Tech. (E.D. Tex.) - Dismissal with prejudice for $0.

•    Azure Networks (E.D. Tex.) – Dismissal for non-infringement.

•    E-Contact Techs. (E.D. Tex.) – Dismissal with prejudice for $0 and plaintiff to pay costs.

•    Lochner Techs . (C.D. Cal.) – Won summary judgment of invalidity.

•    Man Machine Interface Techs. (C.D. Cal.) - Dismissal with prejudice.

•    Nazomi Commc'ns (I) (N.D. Cal.) – Won summary judgment of non-infringement.

•    Nazomi Commc'ns (II) (N.D. Cal.) – Won summary judgment of non-infringement.

•    Oplus Techs. (C.D. CA) – Won summary judgment of invalidity and non-infringement.

•    Patent Harbor (E.D. Tex) – Won claim construction dispositive of non-infringement, stipulated judgment of non-infringement.

•    Walker Digital (ITC) – Withdrawal of ITC complaint by Walker Digital on the eve of the ITC hearing for $0.

“I am extremely proud of VIZIO’s strong stance on NPE litigation,” said Rob Brinkman, VIZIO Chief Administrative Officer.  “Standing up against the trolls is not only the right thing to do, but it is also an unwavering commitment by VIZIO in creating value for the American public by fighting against the troll tax on behalf of American consumers,” stated Mr. Brinkman.

To further support and educate other interested parties in NPE litigation, VIZIO’s Jerry Huang will be part of a panel at the Association of Corporate Counsel’s (ACC) Annual Meeting in Los Angeles October 29, 2013.  The panel, “Practical Legal, Business and Ethical Considerations in Managing Non-Practicing Entity (NPE) Litigation for Your Corporation,” will discuss the history, data on and business motivations behind NPE activity.  For more about the ACC and their annual meeting go to www.acc.com.

About VIZIO
VIZIO, Inc. is headquartered in Irvine, California. In Q2 2007, VIZIO skyrocketed to the top by becoming the #1 shipping brand of flat panel HDTVs in North America and in Q3 2007 became the first American brand in over a decade to lead in North American LCD HDTV shipments. VIZIO was #1 in North America LCD for 2010 ¹ . VIZIO is now also America’s #1 Smart TV ⁵ and large size LCD company ² as the leading seller of 60” and larger HDTVs in the U.S. with 30% of the market in this class ³ . VIZIO was the #1 Sound Bar Company in the U.S. for Q1 2013 ⁴ . For over a decade, VIZIO has remained committed to what it does best -- focus on the consumer to deliver visionary products at a great value. VIZIO offers a broad range of award winning consumer electronics that now include PCs and mobility products.  VIZIO's products are found at Amazon, Best Buy, BJ’s Wholesale, Costco Wholesale, Sam's Club, Target, Walmart and other retailers nationwide. VIZIO has won numerous awards including a #1 ranking in the Inc. 500 for Top Companies in Computers and Electronics and made the lists of Ad Age's Hottest Brands, CNET's Editor's Choice, CNET Best of CES 2011 - Television, CNET Best of CES 2013 – Home Theater and Audio, Home Theater Magazine’s Top Picks, Good Housekeeping's Best Big-Screens, PC World's Best Buy and Popular Mechanics Editor's Choice among many other prestigious honors. For more information, please call 888-VIZIOCE or visit www.VIZIO.com.

¹ DisplaySearch Market Tracker Quarterly Global TV Shipment and Forecast Report
² The NPD Group / Weekly Tracking Service, Large Size includes 60”+, Q2 2013 units sold
³ The NPD Group / Retail Tracking Service, Q2 2013 LED TV units with Apps included

⁴ The NPD Group / Retail Monthly Tracking Service, units sold, Q1 2013

⁵ The NPD Group / Retail Tracking Service, Q2 2013 LED TV units with Apps included


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Press Contacts for VIZIO:
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