Isochem Views Albemarle's Patent Infringement Allegations as Unjustified

Frankfurt, Germany - Aug 26, 2007 - Albemarle Corporation recently filed suit against Isochem Kautschuk GmbH (www.kautschuk.com) at the court in Duesseldorf, Germany. The suit alleges that Isochem infringes Albemarle's patent covering a specific production process of the substance DPE (Decabromodiphenyl Ethane) by importing it from a foreign supplier.

Isochem Kautschuk GmbH is a strong supporter of intellectual property rights. Therefore, it is part of our standard vetting process for suppliers to query them extensively about the processes they employ, to make sure that no patent violation occurs. As such, we were able to make sure that our supplier employs production processes that do not violate Albemarle's patent.

It is unclear why Albemarle did not contact Isochem before filing suit, as we believe even a cursory exchange of crucial information regarding the processes used could have saved both companies a lot of time and effort.

There are numerous suppliers and importers of DPE. To our knowledge, none of these companies have been sued. We can only speculate that this suit is part of a new strategy that seeks to increase Albemarle's market share through litigation, as opposed to actually competing based on quality and price.

Isochem remains committed to international intellectual property rights and will prove in court that Albemarle's patents have indeed not been violated. More information about the ongoing legal proceedings will be released as it becomes available.

About Isochem Kautschuk GmbH
Isochem Kautschuk-GmbH (www.kautschuk.com) is a leading supplier of fine chemicals for the rubber-, plastics-, polyurethane-, and adhesives industry. This includes rubber-to-fabric adhesion promoters, rubber chemicals, hardeners and latent accelerators for epoxy resins, polyurethane catalysts, flame retardants, and a wide range of isocyanates for the production of adhesives. The majority of these products are made in Germany; other productions are in Switzerland, Italy, and China.

Isochem Kautschuk-GmbH and all production plants are ISO 9001:2000 certified; all European production sites also in accordance to ISO 14001.

About Kautschuk Gesellschaft Group
Kautschuk Gesellschaft Group (www.kautschuk.com) is an alliance of international companies supplying the rubber, plastics, and adhesives industry with high performance chemicals. The production plants in Germany, Switzerland, Italy, Thailand, and China are ISO 9001/2000 certified. The worldwide sales organization, supported by experienced chemists and engineers provides just-in-time deliveries and local technical service.

Current information about Isochem and other Kautschuk Gesellschaft Group members is also available on kautschuk.com's direkt news feed. For comments or inquiries, please contact press@kautschuk.com.