Energy Conversion Devices Inc – ‘8-K’ for 3/6/01

On:  Wednesday, 3/7/01, at 4:57pm ET   ·   For:  3/6/01   ·   Accession #:  32878-1-11   ·   File #:  1-08403

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Current Report   —   Form 8-K
Filing Table of Contents

Document/Exhibit                   Description                      Pages   Size 

 1: 8-K         Current Report                                         6     15K 

Document Table of Contents

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SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION              
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549              

------------------------              

FORM 8-K              

CURRENT REPORT              
PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(D) OF THE              
SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934             

Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported)           March 6, 2001        
                                                 -------------------------------

ENERGY CONVERSION DEVICES, INC.             
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in Charter)                    

   Delaware                         1-8403                  38-1749884
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(State or Other Jurisdiction           File Number           (IRS Employer of   
of Incorporation)                                            Identification No.)

1675 West Maple Road, Troy, Michigan                              48084       
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(Address of Principal Executive Offices)                        (Zip Code)      

Registrant's telephone number, including area code        (248) 280-1900        
                                                  ------------------------------

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(Former name or former address, if changed since last report)     

Page 1 of 6 Pages             
Exhibit Index on Page 3             

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 Energy Conversion Devices, Inc., a Delaware corporation ("Registrant"),
submits the following report on Form 8-K.                                       

Item 5.    Other Events                                                         

 On March 6, 2001, the Registrant announced that its battery subsidiary,
Ovonic Battery Company, Inc. ("Ovonic Battery"), had filed a suit in federal    
court in Detroit, Michigan, against Matsushita Battery Industrial Co., Ltd.,    
Toyota Motor Corporation, Panasonic EV Energy Co., Ltd. and several related     
entities for infringement of patents held by Ovonic Battery.                    

 Attached hereto as Exhibit 99.1 is the press release issued on March 6,
2001 by the Registrant.                                                         

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EXHIBIT INDEX             

Exhibit No.              Description                              Page No.      
-----------              -----------                              --------      

99.1                 Press Release issued by the Registra             5         
  in connection with Ovonic Battery's suit
      filed in federal court in Detroit, Michigan,
    against Matsushita Battery Industrial CO.,
Ltd. et al.                           

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SIGNATURES              

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934,
Registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the        
undersigned thereunto duly authorized.                                          

             ENERGY CONVERSION DEVICES, INC.

     By:  /s/ Nancy M. Bacon
                              ------------------------------------------
      Nancy M. Bacon
             Senior Vice President

Date: March 7, 2001                                                             

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ECD ANNOUNCES OVONIC BATTERY IS FILING              
A LAWSUIT AGAINST MATSUSHITA BATTERY              

TROY, Mich., March 6, 2001 B Energy Conversion Devices, Inc. ("ECD") (NASDAQ:   
ENER) announced today that its subsidiary, Ovonic Battery Company, Inc.         
("Ovonic Battery"), has filed suit in federal court in Detroit, Michigan against
Matsushita Battery Industrial Co., Ltd. ("MBI"), Toyota Motor Corporation,      
Panasonic EV Energy Co., Ltd. and several related entities for infringement of  
patents held by Ovonic Battery.                                                 

MBI and Panasonic EV Energy Co. supply Nickel-Metal Hydride (NiMH) batteries    
used in the Toyota Prius gasoline-electric hybrid car sold in the United States 
by Toyota Motor Corporation. The lawsuit charges that MBI's hybrid electric     
vehicle batteries, battery components and battery systems infringe patents held 
by Ovonic Battery.                                                              

In addition to filing suit, Ovonic Battery today terminated a 1992 agreement    
which licensed MBI under patents held by ECD and Ovonic Battery for the         
manufacture and sale of small consumer batteries. MBI had breached that         
agreement by failing to pay millions of dollars in royalties to Ovonic Battery. 
In its lawsuit, Ovonic Battery seeks damages for those unpaid royalties, and    
also seeks to enjoin the importation of all Panasonic electronic products that  
contain batteries using Ovonic Battery's patented technology. MBI and its       
related companies annually sell hundreds of millions of batteries and electronic
products principally under the Panasonic name which use Ovonic Battery's        
patented technology.                                                            

Robert C. Stempel, Chairman of ECD and Ovonic Battery, said, "While we strongly 
support the production and sale of electric and hybrid electric vehicles, it is 
very unfortunate that Matsushita and Toyota are entering the environmentally    
significant market for hybrid electric vehicles with technology that does not   
belong to them. After overtures to Matsushita were rejected and several         
unsuccessful attempts to discuss this matter with Toyota, we have been forced to
take this strong action to protect the U.S. government's investment in American 
technology and the interests of our stockholders."                              

Stanford R. Ovshinsky, President and CEO of ECD and CEO of Ovonic Battery, said,
"U.S-based auto manufacturers are currently getting ready to introduce hybrid   
vehicles and Ovonic Battery has been preparing for production of NiMH battery   
packs to meet their needs. We cannot tolerate patent-infringing products."      

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Ovonic Battery was founded by ECD in 1982 to develop and commercialize its basic
proprietary NiMH rechargeable battery technology. All significant consumer      
battery manufacturers worldwide (28 NiMH manufacturers) are licensees of Ovonic 
Battery. Ovonic Battery received, and successfully completed, the first contract
awarded by the United States Advanced Battery Consortium to develop NiMH        
batteries for use in electric vehicles. As part of its contract, Ovonic Battery 
established a NiMH battery manufacturing facility in the United States. The     
Ovonic NiMH battery for electric vehicles is the first and only battery to      
exceed 200 miles on a single charge during official tests conducted for the     
United States Department of Energy and has become the enabling technology for   
electric and hybrid electric vehicles.                                          

ECD and its network of business partners and licensees are manufacturing        
cutting-edge products in three rapidly growing global markets: energy           
generation, energy storage and information technology. ECD designs and builds   
manufacturing machinery that incorporates its proprietary production processes, 
maintains ongoing research and development programs to continually improve its  
products and develops new applications for its technologies. ECD's web site     
address is http://www.ovonic.com.                                               

###             

This release may contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the   
Safe Harbor Provisions of the Private Securities Litigation reform Act of 1995. 
Such forward-looking statements are based on assumptions, which ECD, as of the  
date of this release, believes to be reasonable and appropriate. ECD cautions,  
however, that the actual facts and conditions that may exist in the future could
vary materially from the assumed facts and conditions upon which such           
forward-looking statements are based.                                           

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Dates Referenced Herein

				Referenced-On Page
This ‘8-K’ Filing		Date		First		Last			Other Filings
Filed on:		3/7/01		4					None on these Dates
For Period End:		3/6/01		1		5
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