US Appellate Court declares Calgon Carbon UV patents invalid

UPPER SADDLE RIVER, NJ, May 8, 2007 -- On April 24, 2007, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit (CAFC) issued a decision completely rejecting Calgon Carbon's appeal in the case of Wedeco v. Calgon Carbon. The decision affirmed the 2006 judgment by the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey that declared both of Calgon Carbon's patents directed to the use of UV light to inactivate Cryptosporidium and Giardia in drinking water (U.S. patent 6,129,893 and U.S. patent 6,565,803) invalid in their entirety.

"From the beginning of Wedeco v. Calgon Carbon we have remained steadfast and confident that the Calgon Carbon patents were invalid in light of the widespread use of low dose UV light for water disinfection that preceded the Calgon Carbon patents by decades," said Mike McGettigan, Vice President for Americas of ITT Advanced Water Treatment & Wedeco. "We are pleased to see that both the New Jersey District Court and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit agreed with our long standing conviction that these patents were completely invalid."

"This important decision puts the low dose UV disinfection process back into the public's water disinfection tool box without restriction on its use, the way it was prior to the existence of the Calgon Carbon patents," said McGettigan.

"Once again, no matter what pathogenic contaminants may be found in the source water, low dose UV may be used as a drinking water disinfection tool. From this decision, we are confident that low dose UV disinfection process users in the United States won't ever again be subject to the risk of having to pay a low dose UV drinking water disinfection use fee if their water source happens to contain Cryptosporidium or Giardia."

ITT is the world's leading manufacturer of ultraviolet water disinfection and ozone oxidation systems. Through its WEDECO brand, highly efficient UV systems provide chemical-free disinfection solutions to a variety of markets including municipal drinking water, wastewater, industrial process applications and consumer/residential water treatment. WEDECO's leading ozone oxidation systems are used in a wide range of industrial and municipal applications. Ozone oxidizes harmful contaminants in industrial wastewater and eliminates color, taste and odor in drinking water. WEDECO has installed more than 200,000 systems worldwide and has over 25 years of experience in technical expertise in the field of ultraviolet and ozone technology.

About ITT Corporation ITT Corporation, Inc. (www.itt.com) supplies advanced technology products and services in key markets including: fluid and water management including water treatment; defense communication, opto-electronics, information technology and services; electronic interconnects and switches; and other specialty products.

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