Eastman Receives Favorable Decision in ParaStar™ PET Patent Infringement Case

Eastman Chemical Company (NYSE:EMN) said today that it is pleased with the recent decision by the United States District Court in Wilmington, Del., to deny a motion filed by Wellman, Inc., for a preliminary injunction to stop Eastman’s production of certain ParaStar™ PET resins at its facilities in Columbia, S.C.

In September 2007, Wellman filed a lawsuit against Eastman in U.S. District Court claiming patent infringement pertaining to certain unidentified ParaStar PET resins. Wellman then filed the motion for a preliminary injunction in early 2008, and the Court heard arguments on the motion in June 2008.

“Eastman has consistently said that we consider the claim filed by Wellman to be without merit, and we will continue to vigorously defend our position as this case makes its way through the court system,” said T.J. Stevens, Eastman’s vice president and general manager, performance polymers.

In 2006, Eastman introduced ParaStar as the next generation of PET resins. Used in a variety of beverage packaging applications, these innovative resins offer enhanced bottle clarity, product purity, production and supply chain efficiencies, as well as significant environmental benefits.