The Jean Coutu Group (PJC) USA, Inc. And Ronald A. Katz Technology Licensing, L.P. Settle Patent Lawsuit and Enter into License Agreement

The Jean Coutu Group (PJC) USA, Inc., the 4th largest drugstore chain in the country operating in 18 states on the east coast, and Ronald A. Katz Technology Licensing, L.P., headquartered in Los Angeles, announced today the settlement of patent litigation between the parties and that, as part of the settlement, The Jean Coutu Group (PJC) USA has agreed to pay an undisclosed sum for a nonexclusive license under a comprehensive portfolio of patents that Katz owns relating to interactive voice applications.

The license covers services offered by The Jean Coutu Group (PJC) USA in the “Automated Health Care Services” and “Product/Service Support” Fields of Use including customer service delivered through 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.

“When callers dial any of our store numbers, or (800) 325-3737 our systems are set up with the latest technology to make it easy for callers to place refill and repeat orders, quickly and with improved accuracy, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. We are proud of the systems we have put in place for our customers and we are pleased to have purchased this important coverage under a portfolio of patents which describe many of the technologies which are used in this kind of customer focused system,” said Helene Bisson, Media and Public Relations, The Jean Coutu Group (PJC) USA, Inc.

Ronald A. Katz stated, “We welcome The Jean Coutu Group (PJC) USA, Inc. to the large number of leading companies who have purchased a license under this portfolio.”

There are over 200 companies with license rights under this portfolio, including over 25 energy and utility companies. Companies with license rights under this portfolio include: Advanta Corp., Alltel Corporation, American Century, American Express, Automatic Data Processing, Inc., AT&T Corp., Bank of America Corporation, BB&T Corporation, Capital One Services Inc., Cellco Partnership d/b/a Verizon Wireless, Certegy Inc., Dell Inc., Cullen/Frost Bankers, Inc., Delta Air Lines, Inc., Edward D. Jones & Co., L.P., Equifax Inc., Excel Communications Inc., First Data Corporation, First National Bank of Omaha, First Tennessee National Corporation, The Gallup Organization, Hewlett-Packard Company, Home Shopping Network Inc., Household International, Inc., HSBC Bank USA, International Business Machines (IBM), KeyCorp, LaSalle Bank Corporation, Marriott International, Inc., MCI Inc., Mediacom Communications Corporation, Mellon Financial Corporation, Merck & Co., Merrill Lynch & Co., Inc., Metris Companies Inc., Microsoft, MoneyGram Payment Systems Inc., Nationwide, OppenheimerFunds, Inc., People’s Bank, PetMed Express, Inc., The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc., Principal Financial Group, Inc., Prudential Financial, Inc., QVC, Inc., Sears, Roebuck and Co., Shop At Home, Inc., Sprint Corporation, SouthTrust Bank, Sunoco, Inc., Synovus, Teachers Insurance and Annuity Association of America, TD Ameritrade Holding Corporation, T. Rowe Price Associates, Inc., The Vanguard Group, Inc., Verizon California Inc. and its affiliates, Wachovia Corporation, and Wells Fargo & Company.

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.

The Jean Coutu Group (PJC) USA, Inc., is the 4th largest drugstore chain in the country operating in 18 states on the east coast and has over 330 stores operating under the BROOKS Pharmacy banner from Maine to NY and over 1,550 stores operating under the ECKERD Pharmacy banner spanning Connecticut to Georgia. The Jean Coutu Group (PJC) USA has made a commitment to meet the needs of our communities by providing quality health, pharmaceutical, beauty, personal, and household products, in addition to our continuing support of worthwhile charitable events. At our stores, headquarters and distribution centers, we employ motivated and people-oriented individuals, recognize their importance to our organization, and encourage their career growth. From our state-of-the-art pharmacy services to our large product selection, we are ready to meet our customer’s needs.