Jenoptik Settles Therma-Wave Patent Lawsuits

Metrology system manufacturer Therma-Wave Inc. and optical manufacturer Jenoptik AG have arrived at a settlement of their outstanding litigation in the U.S. and Germany. Therma-Wave filed suit against Jenoptik in June of 1994 for infringing on six of its U.S. patents covering its Therma-Probe thin-film metrology systems. In November of 1997, a San Francisco jury found Therma-Wave's patents valid and concluded that Jenoptik's competing TWIN system infringed all 31 claims at issue from these patents.

Under the settlement, Jenoptik is precluded from selling its TWIN line of products in the United States. However, Jenoptik may sell the TWIN in all other countries, and products made outside the United States using the TWIN can be imported into the United States.