OBERKOCHEN/Germany, 28 April 2017 – ZEISS today announced that it is filing initial legal claims against Nikon for infringement of more than ten patents, related to a broad range of products in the fields of semiconductor manufacturing equipment and digital cameras. This follows Nikon’s announcement on 24 April, 2017, that it has sued ZEISS. ZEISS categorically denies any infringement allegations.

ZEISS has today filed suits in Japan, both on its own and jointly with its strategic partner ASML. Additional suits will be brought in the United States.

ZEISS is filing these countersuits after having tried, for many years, to extend a cross-license agreement between the two companies. Nikon has not seriously participated in these negotiations and decided to take this dispute to court instead. Therefore, ZEISS was left with no other choice but to file these countersuits to protect its intellectual property and safeguard its market position. 

ZEISS holds more than 7,000 patents in many countries around the globe. The world’s technology leader for optics and optoelectronics is a pioneer in areas such as microscopy, medical technology and lithography.