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Robert Bosch North America, Healthways Announce Availability of Single License for Joint Patent Portfolios
Robert Bosch North
America, Inc. (RBNA) and Healthways Inc. (NASDAQ: HWAY) today announced the
immediate availability of a single patent license under their joint patent
portfolios related to remote health monitoring, automated diagnostics and
health and disease management.
Both companies collectively hold extensive catalogs of patents in the U.S.
and other countries in the area of remote health monitoring, automated
diagnostics and disease management. The combined portfolio will give
licensees the right to practice over 105 U.S. patents, 154 U.S. patent
applications and 78 corresponding non-U.S patents.
The joint licensing program announced today will be managed by Health Hero
Network (HHN), a wholly owned subsidiary of RBNA. Health Hero Network will
be able to offer licensees a single license that, depending on the needs of
the licensee, may include patents owned by Healthways and Health Hero
Network. A licensee may elect to take a license from Health Hero Network
under the Healthways patents -- alone or in combination with the Health
Hero Network patents.
"In recent years, health care costs in the United States have relentlessly
increased," said Derek Newell, president of Health Hero Network. "With this
increase in costs, employers, payers, and providers will continue to turn
to technology as a critical part of their solutions both for their disease
management and wellness programs."
"Under this single license available from Health Hero Network,
manufacturers who develop products, and companies that provide health
management services can conveniently obtain rights to both the Health Hero
Network and Healthways patents," Newell continued. "This agreement will
make it easier for the marketplace to utilize the innovations owned by
Health Hero Network and Healthways to extend the range of health management
solutions available in our industry."
"The market demand for comprehensive, integrated health, wellness,
prevention and care management solutions, including automated patient
diagnostic activity and the accurate retrieval of healthcare information by
consumers and all of their providers, will require defined technologies
that automate the proven processes the industry currently provides to its
customers and to the millions of individuals who participate in our
programs," said Ben R. Leedle, Jr., CEO of Healthways. "We are excited to
share with Health Hero Network, and make available through this single
license opportunity, the extensive intellectual property portfolios we both
own and maintain in order to better serve our customers and business
partners."
The joint patent license contains a provision that waives royalties for
practice of the technologies for the period prior to Dec. 31, 2008 for
companies who become licensees on or before June 1, 2009.
Joint licensing programs provide the market with a convenient and
cost-effective way to obtain licenses to the patents essential to practice
health management technologies. The programs encourage greater adoption of
the critical technologies in a cost-effective manner.
Companies that sell, offer, make or use products and services that practice
remote health management or disease management should contact Sandeep
Jaggi, Sr. Vice President of Intellectual Property at Health Hero Network
(sandeep.jaggi@us.bosch.com), to learn more about the joint patent license
and to request a sample agreement for review.
Specific inquiries regarding Healthways participation in the joint patent
licensing program should be directed to Healthways Executive Vice President
and Chief Financial Officer Mary Chaput (mary.chaput@healthways.com).
About the Bosch Group and Health Hero Network
The Bosch Group is a leading global supplier of technology and services. In
the areas of automotive and industrial technology, consumer goods, and
building technology, some 272,000 associates generated sales of 46.1
billion euros ($63.2 billion) in fiscal 2007. The Bosch Group comprises
Robert Bosch GmbH and its roughly 300 subsidiary and regional companies in
over 50 countries. This worldwide development, manufacturing, and sales
network is the foundation for further growth. Bosch spends more than three
billion euros each year for research and development, and in 2006 applied
for over 3,000 patents worldwide. The company was set up in Stuttgart in
1886 by Robert Bosch (1861-1942) as "Workshop for Precision Mechanics and
Electrical Engineering."
In North America, the Bosch Group manufactures and markets automotive
original equipment and aftermarket products, industrial automation and
mobile products, power tools and accessories, security technology,
thermo-technology, packaging equipment and household appliances. Bosch
employs approximately 25,000 associates in more than 70 locations
throughout the U.S., Canada and Mexico, with reported sales of $9.5 billion
in fiscal 2007. For more information on the company, visit
www.boschusa.com.
Based in Palo Alto, Health Hero Network develops and markets the Health
Buddy System for health improvement. The Health Buddy System serves as the
interface between patients at home and care providers, facilitating
monitoring of and self-management support for patients with chronic
conditions. The System includes monitoring technologies, clinical
information databases, Internet-enabled decision support tools, health
management programs and content development tools. Through increased
communication, behavior modification, and prevention, the Health Buddy
System improves the quality of patient care. Health Hero Network's systems
are protected by 57 issued US patents. For more information, visit
www.healthhero.com.
About Healthways
Healthways is the leading provider of specialized, comprehensive Health and
Care Support(SM) solutions to help millions of people maintain or improve
their health and, as a result, reduce overall healthcare costs. Healthways'
solutions are designed to help healthy individuals stay healthy, mitigate
and slow the progression of disease associated with family or lifestyle
risk factors and promote the best possible health for those already
affected by disease. Our proven, evidence-based programs provide highly
specific and personalized interventions for each individual in a
population, irrespective of age or health status, and are delivered to
consumers by phone, mail, internet and face-to-face interactions, both
domestically and internationally. Healthways also provides a national,
fully accredited complementary and alternative Health Provider Network,
offering convenient access to individuals who seek health services outside
of, and in conjunction with, the traditional healthcare system. For more
information, please visit www.healthways.com.
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