3M and Sanyo Settle Suit over Lithium Ion Battery Cathode Intellectual Property

3M and Sanyo Electric have reached a global settlement regarding a
lithium ion battery cathode patent dispute filed in March 2007 against
Sanyo and other companies in the Minnesota District Court and United
States International Trade Commission. Under the settlement, Sanyo is
now licensed under 3M's patents covering certain cathode materials.
The specific terms of the settlement are confidential.

Lithium ion batteries are a preferred source of power for laptop
computers, mobile phones and portable electronic devices, and are an
emerging source of power for battery-powered hand tools and transport
applications such as hybrid electric vehicles.

3M's cathode materials containing nickel, manganese and cobalt are
an important technology for current and next generation lithium ion
batteries. 3M supplies these patented cathode materials to the
industry.

Over the past decade, 3M has invested significant resources in
design, development and commercialization of advanced material
technologies for lithium ion battery applications. 3M's expertise and
broad materials capabilities in cathodes, metal alloy anodes,
electrolyte salts, solvents, and additives can enable the next
generation of high-performance lithium ion batteries.

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