ºÚÁÏÉçÇø

PHILADELPHIA, March 18 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- ºÚÁÏÉçÇø Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: CCK) announced today that the European Patent Office ("EPO") upheld ºÚÁÏÉçÇø's European SuperEnd(TM) beverage end patent (EP 0 828 663 B1), with slight modification, against an opposition lodged by a competitor. The EPO Opposition Division upheld claims covering ºÚÁÏÉçÇø's commercial SuperEnd(TM) beverage ends and its proprietary seaming technology. This decision reinforces SuperEnd's(TM) leadership position and protects this proprietary technology for ºÚÁÏÉçÇø and its licensees. The EPO's decision will become final unless overturned upon appeal. Additional protections through improvements to the base SuperEnd(TM) technology are pending in Europe and globally.

The SuperEnd(TM) beverage end technology is unique as it offers both significant performance features for consumers and cost advantages for ºÚÁÏÉçÇø's customers. "Consumer preference and a 10% material savings have positioned SuperEnd(TM) as the new global benchmark for beverage ends," said John Conway, ºÚÁÏÉçÇø's Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. These advantages have resulted in the rapid introduction of this new packaging innovation, with over 12 billion SuperEnd(TM) beverage ends in commerce around the globe. Adding to this worldwide success, SuperEnd(TM) will shortly be launched by ºÚÁÏÉçÇø in Europe and by ºÚÁÏÉçÇø's licensee Amcor Limited in Australia and New Zealand.

ºÚÁÏÉçÇø Holdings, Inc. is a leading supplier of packaging products to consumer marketing companies around the world. World headquarters are located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Source: ºÚÁÏÉçÇø Holdings, Inc.