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AU Optronics Honored with 2009 / 2010 Ocean Tomo 300(R) Patent Index

Posted on: Thursday, 26 November 2009, 01:39 CST

HSINCHU, Taiwan, Nov. 26 /PRNewswire-Asia/ -- AU Optronics Corp. ("AUO" or the "Company") (TAIEX: 2409; NYSE: AUO) announced today that it is honored with the 2009 / 2010 Ocean Tomo 300(R) Patent Index. It indicates high recognition for the Company's achievements and dedication to patents development. The Ocean Tomo Patent ratings system calculates a company's innovation ratio, the value of their patent portfolio divided by total corporate book value. As of November 2009, AUO has successfully obtained nearly 6,000 patents while 5,500 patents applications are in progress. With this great achievement in patents, AUO ranks first in patent applications in Taiwan's flat panel display industry.

As the TFT-LCD industry is characterized by rapid technological changes, AUO believes that effective research and development is essential to success and aims to offer clients comprehensive solutions with innovative technology. In 2002, AUO established its research center, "AUO Technology Center" (ATC). It is not only the largest optronics research center in Taiwan, but also one of the most specialized research centers in flat display technology globally. AUO has recently extended its R&D focus to green energy technology. Currently, AUO has a core force of more than 1,700 dedicated R&D engineers.

According to the Ocean Tomo 300(R) Patent Index, corporate value will depend on intangible assets in the future -- nearly eighty percent of corporate value resides in intangible assets while tangible assets are around twenty percent. AUO has devoted a lot of effort to patent development and been aggressively increasing the quality and quantity of its intellectual property, which gives the Company advantages over its competitors in this industry.

"We're extremely honored to be selected as a constituent of the 2009 / 2010 Ocean Tomo 300(R) Patent Index." Dr. L. J. Chen, President and CEO of AUO, said, "We will certainly continue to integrate development resources and emphasize advanced technology development, in order to maintain our leading advantages in the flat display industry and maximize our customers' and shareholders' benefits by offering high added-value products."

The Ocean Tomo 300(R) Patent Index, released by Ocean Tomo, LLC and the American Stock Exchange, is the industry's first index based on the value of intellectual property, and represents a diversified portfolio of 300 companies that own the most valuable patents relative to their book value. From its inception in January 2007 through October 31, 2009, the Ocean Tomo 300(R) Patent Index has outperformed the S&P 500 by 10.02%. It is recognized by the American Stock Exchange as the first major, broad-based market equity index to be launched, following the progression from the Dow Jones Industrial Average in 1896, to the Standard & Poor's 500 in 1957 and then to the NASDAQ Composite Index in 1971. It is well known as one of the most essential economic indexes, like the NASDAQ Composite Index, in the knowledge economy period (1970 until now).

About AU Optronics

AU Optronics Corp. (AUO) is a worldwide top three manufacturer* of thin film transistor liquid crystal display panels (TFT-LCD). AUO is able to provide customers with a full range of panel sizes and comprehensive applications, offering TFT-LCD panels in sizes ranging from 1.2 inches to greater than 65 inches. AUO generated NT$423.9 billion (US$12.9 billion) in sales revenue in 2008 and now houses a staff of more than 42,000 employees throughout its global operations in Taiwan, Mainland China, Japan, Singapore, South Korea, the U.S., and Europe. Additionally, AUO is the first pure TFT-LCD manufacturer to successfully list at the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE). AUO extended its market to green energy industry in the end of 2008, and formally founded The Solar Photovoltaic Business Unit in October, 2009. For more information, please visit http://www.AUO.com .

* DisplaySearch 3Q2009 WW Large-Area TFT-LCD Shipment Report. This data is used as reference only and AUO does not make any endorsement or representation in connection therewith. 2008 year end revenue converted by an exchange rate of NTD32.76:USD1.

About Ocean Tomo

Established in 2003, Ocean Tomo, LLC (http://www.OceanTomo.com ) is a fully integrated firm that specializes in understanding and leveraging Intellectual Property (IP) assets. The Firm provides its unique Intellectual Capital Merchant Banc(R) financial products and services in the fields of IP financial & survey expert testimony, valuations, investments, risk management and transactions. Headquartered in Chicago, Ocean Tomo also has offices in DC Metro, Greenwich, Orange County, Palm Beach, San Francisco, and Paris, France. The Firm is also publisher of the Ocean Tomo 300(R) Patent Index (NYSE Euronext: OTPAT), exclusive licensee and distributor of the PatentRatings(R) System, and founder of The Intellectual Property Exchange International, Inc. (IPXI), the first financial exchange with an IP focus.

SOURCE AU Optronics Corp.

Source: PR Newswire

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