Automotive Journal

CARY, N.C., Feb. 5 /PRNewswire/ -- LORD Corporation -- a leader in vibration and motion control products and solutions for defense, aerospace and commercial markets -- filed suit in 2009 against Active Shock (recently acquired by General Kinetics Engineering Corporation) in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina (civil action number 5:09-CV-00318). In this suit, LORD Corporation asserts certain patent infringement and false advertising as well as unfair and deceptive trade practices claims.

Specifically, LORD Corporation claims infringement of its three U.S. patents entitled: "Vibration Attenuating Method Utilizing Continuously Variable Semiactive Damper," "End Stop Control Method," and "System for Reducing Suspension End Stop Collisions." LORD Corporation has taken this action to protect its intellectual property for these high-value, enabling technologies and to ensure that LORD Magneto-Rheological (MR) and adaptive suspension technology is accurately represented to customers.

LORD Corporation's MR and adaptive suspension technology has been thoroughly proven through the licensing and broad intellectual property portfolio used in developing Delphi's MagneRide(TM) suspension system (now part of BWI Group). First introduced on the 2002 Corvette, more than 500,000 devices appear in more than a dozen models from a wide range of manufacturers including Audi, Acura, Ferrari, GM, Holden and Honda. The rapid acceptance of the technology by a wide range of manufacturers, from high-performance sports cars to SUVs, demonstrates the confidence the automotive industry has in the performance, reliability and durability of LORD technology.

About LORD

LORD MR technology is based on commercial proprietary and patented fluid, damper, mount, brake and clutch designs and sophisticated computer control algorithms. When exposed to a magnetic field, MR materials change state nearly instantaneously and with complete reversibility. As a result, MR technology provides fast and infinitely variable control of energy dissipation for industrial and automotive devices. As the only provider of commercial MR fluids with more than 110 MR fluid, device, and controller algorithm patents worldwide, LORD is the largest manufacturer of MR devices and systems. For information about LORD MR applications, visit www.lord.com/mr.

With headquarters in Cary, N.C., USA, and sales in excess of $700-MM, LORD Corporation is a privately-held company that designs, manufactures and markets devices and systems to manage mechanical motion and control noise and vibration; formulates, produces and sells general purpose and specialty adhesives and coatings; and develops products and systems utilizing magnetically responsive technologies. With manufacturing in nine countries and offices in more than 15 major business centers, LORD Corporation employs more than 2,500 worldwide. Visit www.lord.com for more information.

Contact: John Heilmann, 919-468-5979 x6297 or John.Heilmann@lord.com

SOURCE LORD Corporation