3M and Batteries.com LLC have reached settlement of a patent dispute involving lithium ion batteries in the Minnesota District Court and the International Trade Commission.
As part of the settlement, Batteries.com acknowledged the validity and infringement of 3M's patent rights to lithium ion battery technology. Batteries.com is an Internet based retailer of replacement batteries for many consumer electronic items. Batteries.com has agreed to sell lithium ion laptop batteries containing cells manufactured by a licensed source of 3M's patented lithium ion battery technology, and to discontinue sales of infringing lithium ion batteries. The remaining terms of the settlement are confidential.
3M believes its cathode materials containing nickel, manganese and cobalt are an important technology for current and next generation lithium ion batteries. 3M stands ready to supply 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.
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. In addition, 3M sees a promising future for its lithium-ion technology in transport applications such as hybrid electric vehicles.
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