BRISBANE, Calif., Jan. 12 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Cutera, Inc.(R) , a leading provider of laser and other light-based aesthetic systems for practitioners worldwide, today announced that it has obtained a trial date in its patent infringement action with Palomar Medical Technologies, Inc.
The U.S. District Court, District of Massachusetts issued an order today setting a trial date of May 30, 2006. Cutera expects the trial to last for approximately two to three weeks.
In the lawsuit, Palomar is alleging that Cutera’s laser-based hair-removal products infringe three of the thirty-two claims of U.S. Patent No. 5,735,844. Cutera believes that its products do not infringe, and that the patent should be invalidated.
Kevin Connors, Cutera’s CEO and president, commented, “Cutera is eager to get its story in front of a jury. We are an innovative leader in the light-based aesthetic industry, and have experienced tremendous growth in our business. We believe that we built a fundamentally different and higher-capability laser-based hair-removal system. We obtained an independent legal opinion that our product does not violate that patent. We even told the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office about Palomar’s patent when applying for our own rights, and we still were granted our own patents for our product’s unique and novel design.”
Dave Gollnick, Cutera’s VP of Research and Development, added, “We have the broadest range of product offerings in this industry. We use multiple technology platforms, and have product solutions for all the popular noninvasive applications, including vascular-, photorejuvenation-, skin-tightening- and pigmented-lesion treatments. And our hair-removal solutions are not limited to the laser-based product named in this lawsuit. Introduced early last year, our ProWave 770(TM) handpiece -- available on our Solera Opus(TM) -- and CoolGlide Xeo(R) platforms -- is the first programmable wavelength solution for hair removal, and has quickly gained solid market acceptance. This selectable-wavelength feature allows our customers to treat the broadest range of patients.”
About Cutera, Inc.
Brisbane, California-based Cutera is a leading provider of laser and other light-based aesthetic systems to the professional aesthetic market. Since 1998, Cutera has been developing innovative, easy-to-use products that enable dermatologists, plastic surgeons, gynecologists, primary care physicians and other qualified practitioners to offer safe, effective and non-invasive aesthetic treatments to their patients. For more information, call 1-888-4CUTERA or visit www.cutera.com
This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Specifically, statements concerning the outcome of Cutera’s patent litigation with Palomar Medical Technologies and the expected length of the trial are forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Safe Harbor. Forward-Looking statements are based on management’s current, preliminary expectations and are subject to risks and uncertainties, which may cause Cutera’s actual results to differ materially from the statements contained herein. Further information on potential risk factors that could affect Cutera’s business and its financial results are detailed in its most recent 10-K and 10-Q as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Undue reliance should not be placed on forward-looking statements which speak only as of the date they are made. Cutera undertakes no obligation to update publicly any forward-looking statements to reflect new information, events or circumstances after the date they were made, or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events.
Cutera, Inc.
CONTACT: Ron Santilli, Chief Financial Officer of Cutera, Inc.,+1-415-657-5500; or investors, John Mills of Integrated CorporateRelations, Inc., +1-310-395-2215, or jmills@icrinc.com, for Cutera, Inc.
Web site: http://www.cutera.com//
