Baar, Switzerland (August 2, 2011) – Earlier this week, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit unanimously agreed with a lower court ruling that Pergo’s products do not infringe Välinge's patents.

“This victory effectively ends a series of failed litigations brought by Välinge against Pergo throughout the world,” says Ralf Eisermann, CEO of Pergo AG, “and demonstrates Pergo’s confidence in the strength of our intellectual property positions. Our customers, partners and licensees should feel safe knowing that Pergo does not infringe the rights of others and will defend its rights and those of its customers against any unfair and unfounded attacks. Such threats should not affect a decision to purchase product from Pergo.

“We respect the intellectual property of others, and take licenses when necessary. We were always convinced the Court would see through Välinge's position, which amounted to little more than ‘smoke and mirrors.’”

Despite Välinge's attempts to convince the Court to ignore almost a decade of jurisprudence, the Court of Appeals refused to reverse the decision by the trial judge. Specifically, because Pergo’s products do not have “play” (a condition permitting movement of the panels after assembly), they cannot infringe Välinge's patents, which, the Appeals Court also agreed, all require “play.”

About Pergo:
Pergo is regarded as the inventor of HPL laminate flooring and enjoys an outstanding position on both the North American and European markets. The company develops, produces and markets laminate flooring with premium-quality multi-layer sequence in unmistakable designs and unique product features for the residential sector and commercial applications. Pergo produces more than 30 million square metres of laminate flooring a year at two locations in Sweden (Trelleborg and Perstorp) and two manufacturing facilities in the USA (Garner, NC) and Canada (Laval). The traditional Pergo brand was acquired by the Pfleiderer AG (ISIN DE 0006764749) in 2007. To find out more please go to www.pergo.com