EMCORE Corporation Files to Expand Patent Lawsuit Against Optium Corporation

SOMERSET, N.J., Feb. 27 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- EMCORE Corporation (Nasdaq: EMKR), a leading provider of compound semiconductor-based components and subsystems for the broadband, fiber optic, satellite, and solar power markets, announced today it filed papers in the United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania seeking to extend the scope of its patent infringement action against Optium Corporation (Nasdaq: OPTM) to include one additional patent and an additional product line.

EMCORE asserts that Optium is infringing three of EMCORE's licensed patents: United States Patent No. 6,282,003 ("the '003 patent") entitled "Method and apparatus for optimizing SBS performance in an optical communication system using at least two phase modulation tones," United States Patent No. 6,490,071 ("the '071 patent") likewise entitled "Method and apparatus for optimizing SBS performance in an optical communication system using at least two phase modulation tones," and United States Patent No. 6,519,374 ("the '374 patent") entitled "Predistortion arrangement using mixers in nonlinear electro-optical applications." EMCORE believes that Optium's 1550 nm externally modulated transmitters and 1550 nm QAM transmitters infringe the patents.

"EMCORE continues to put considerable resources into developing unique technologies that are key to transmission of video, voice and data, and which support EMCORE's stature in the CATV market," said Dr. Hong Q. Hou, President and COO of EMCORE. "Similarly, we will deploy considerable resources to ensure that our intellectual property is respected. We believe that Optium has infringed on several of our licensed patents and we will aggressively pursue any misuse of our intellectual property by Optium or any other companies and individuals," he said.

About EMCORE

EMCORE Corporation offers a broad portfolio of compound semiconductor- based products for the broadband, fiber optic, satellite and solar power markets. EMCORE's Fiber Optic segment offers optical components, subsystems and systems for high speed data and telecommunications networks, cable television (CATV) and fiber-to-the-premises (FTTP). EMCORE's Photovoltaic segment provides products for both satellite and terrestrial applications. For satellite applications, EMCORE offers high efficiency Gallium Arsenide (GaAs) solar cells, Covered Interconnect Cells (CICs) and panels. For terrestrial applications, EMCORE is adapting its high-efficiency GaAs solar cells for use in solar concentrator systems. For further information about EMCORE, visit www.emcore.com.

Cautionary Statement

Statements expressed or implied in this press release that are not solely historical in nature may constitute "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such forward- looking statements involve risks and uncertainties, both known and unknown, that may cause actual results to differ materially from those indicated, including the risks and uncertainties of complex litigation generally and patent litigation in particular; the substantial expense of such litigation regardless of its outcome; the substantial management time and attention required by such litigation; and other factors discussed in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including our report on Form 10-K for the year ended September 30, 2005.

SOURCE EMCORE Corporation

Released February 27, 2007