Hitachi Wins Japanese Injunction Against FEI
An FEI spokesperson told IBO that FEI does not expect the injunction to have a significant impact because it only affects systems shipped to Japan with gas injection systems and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy analyzers attached. Most of the shipments do not include these attachments, as the attachments can be purchased in Japan. The injunction is related to Hitachi High-Technologies’ 2009 Japanese patent infringement suit against FEI related to the micro-sampling technology for FIB systems (see IBO 12/31/09).
Tokyo, Japan 6/30/10—Hitachi High-Technologies has announced that Tokyo Customs has accepted its petition to deny the Japanese import of FEI’s Strata 400 scan ning/transmission electron microscope and Helios NanoLab 400S scanning electron microscope/focused ion beam (FIB) system. Hitachi High-Technologies charges that the systems violate its Japanese Patent Number 4100450. The company stated that it had been in negotiations with FEI regarding the patents prior to filing the injunction request.
