CIGNA Corporation and Ronald A. Katz Technology Licensing, L.P. Settle Patent Lawsuit and Enter into License Agreement

2008-11-11 13:44:02 -

- CIGNA Corporation, one of the largest investor owned health and related benefits organizations in the United States (NYSE: CI) headquartered in Philadelphia, PA and Ronald A. Katz Technology Licensing, L.P., headquartered in Los Angeles, announced today the settlement of patent litigation between the parties. In addition to the release of claims asserted against it, CIGNA will receive a nonexclusive license under a patent portfolio owned by Katz relating to interactive voice applications.

The nonexclusive license covers services offered by CIGNA and its subsidiaries in the automated health care and financial services call processing fields, including customer service provided via automated systems and live agents. Other terms of the license were not disclosed.

The patents held by Ronald A. Katz Technology Licensing, L.P. cover a wide range of interactive technology including automated forms of: customer service, prescription refill services, securities trading, merchandising, prepaid services, telephone conferences, registration, home shopping, as well as functions involved in securing information from databases by telephone, interactive cable transactions, and various other uses of toll free and local numbers.

Ronald A. Katz stated, "We welcome CIGNA Corporation to the diverse group of leading companies who have purchased license rights under this portfolio."

There are over 275 companies with license rights under this portfolio, including over 45 energy and utility companies. Companies with license rights under this portfolio include: Advanta Corp., Alltel Corporation, American Century, American Express, American International Group, Inc., Amtrak, AT&T Inc., Avis Budget Group, Inc., Avon Products, Inc., Bank of America Corporation, Capital One Services Inc., Chevron U.S.A. Inc., Comerica Inc., Continental Airlines, Dell Inc., Delta Air Lines, Inc., Discover Financial Services, Edward D. Jones & Co., Experian, Express Scripts, Exxon Mobil Corp., First Data Corporation, FirstMerit Corporation, The Gallup Organization, The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc., Hewlett-Packard Company, Hilton Hotels Corporation, Household International, Inc., HSBC Bank USA, ING North America Insurance Corp., International Business Machines (IBM), Kaiser Permanente Insurance Co., KeyCorp, Kohl's Corporation, Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company, MCI Inc., Mellon Financial Corporation, Merck & Co., Merrill Lynch & Co., Inc., Metris Companies Inc., Microsoft, Morgan Stanley, New York Life Insurance Company, OppenheimerFunds, Inc., Premier Global Services, Inc., Principal Financial Group, Inc., Prudential Financial, Inc., Qwest Communications International Inc., QVC, Inc., Regions Financial Corporation, Safeway Inc., Sears, Roebuck and Co., ShopKo Stores, Sprint Corporation, Sunoco, Inc., SUPERVALU Inc., TD Banknorth Inc., T. Rowe Price Associates, Inc., T-Mobile USA, United Air Lines, Inc., Verizon California Inc., Wachovia Corporation, Walgreen Co., Wal-Mart Stores, Inc, Webster Financial Corporation, WellPoint, Inc., Wells Fargo & Company, West Corporation, Wilmington Trust Corporation and Zions Bancorporation.

CIGNA Corporation and its subsidiaries constitute one of the largest investor owned health and related benefits organizations in the United States. Its subsidiaries are major providers of health and related benefits offered through the workplace, including health care products and services, group life, accident and disability insurance. Web site: www.cigna.com.

Mr. Katz is the named inventor on a large number of patents primarily in the fields of telecommunications and computing. He also formed Telecredit, Inc., the nation's first on-line real time credit and check cashing authorization system, and was awarded a patent as co-inventor of that technology.

A2D, L.P.
Brian Rivette, 310-247-8191
brivette@a2dlp.com
or
CIGNA Corporation
Chris Curran, 215-761-1560