MARS Sues JCM for Patent Infringement in U.S. District Court
WEST CHESTER, Pa., US - June 21, 2005
MEI announced that its parent company Mars Inc. filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court in New Jersey against Japan Cash Machine Co. Ltd. of Japan (JCM) and its subsidiary JCM American Corp. alleging infringement of the company’s protected rights to several inventions. MEI has consistently designed and developed differentiated products that deliver value to its customers. Creating the technology for these products requires significant research & development investment that is protected by patents for MEI and its customers.
The complaint states that the JCM Universal Bill Acceptor series infringes at least two patents that cover the MEI Cashflow SC bill acceptor and other MEI currency validation products. U.S. patent laws allow the owner of a patent to stop the manufacture, importation, sale and/or use of products in the United States that are found to infringe, and the action against JCM seeks this type of specific relief.
According to MEI’s President, Mike Hayes, “We always strive to provide the best products for our customers. In the case of our currency validation products we believe they create millions of dollars of additional value for our customers due to their unique design and performance attributes. A major source of our competitive advantage in these products resides in the intellectual property created by our engineers and other associates which are protected by patents.”
About MEI
Today, MEI systems are relied upon for more than 1 billion transactions per week in 90 countries. The company developed the first electronic coin mechanism in the 1960s, followed by the first electronic non-contact bill acceptor, and more recently its vending management system. Today MEI has the largest worldwide installed base of unattended payment mechanisms. In 2004, MEI reached a milestone of selling more than 3.5 million bill acceptors, 4.5 million coin mechanisms and 1 million control boards worldwide. Its products are in widespread use in the vending, soft drink, gaming, amusement, transportation, retail, and kiosk markets. For more information on MEI and its products, visit www.meiglobal.com or call 1-800-345-8215.