Gevo Filing For Preliminary Injunction Against Butamax

ENGLEWOOD, Colo., Aug. 6, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Gevo, Inc. (NASDAQ: GEVO), will file today a motion for preliminary injunction against Butamax™ Advanced Biofuels LLC (Butamax) and E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Company (DuPont) (NYSE: DD) to immediately stop ongoing infringement by Butamax and DuPont of a Gevo patent covering the production of isobutanol with genetically engineered microorganisms.

"Isobutanol is an extremely versatile molecule that can be used for production of everything from the gasoline blendstock of the future to jet fuel and from automotive tires to soft drink bottles," said Brett Lund, Executive Vice President and General Counsel. "Because this molecule is so valuable, competitors are infringing on Gevo patents that cover our advanced, low-cost production of isobutanol. Today, we are asking the court to issue a preliminary injunction to halt a particularly egregious ongoing infringement of one of many patents we hold covering our advanced, field-proven, commercial-scale, production technology."

The request for a preliminary injunction involves Gevo's U.S. Patent No. 8,133,715 (the '715 Patent), which covers a production process using isobutanol-producing yeast. Gevo's request for preliminary injunction follows a lawsuit filed March 13, 2012, in the U.S. District Court for Delaware, which alleges that Butamax and DuPont infringe the '715 Patent. Gevo is requesting that the District Court intervene to immediately halt ongoing infringement of the '715 Patent by Butamax and DuPont.

"The '715 Patent covers technology that dramatically improves isobutanol production. It achieves this result by eliminating a pathway in native yeast that 'hijacks' carbohydrates away from the isobutanol pathway," said Lund. "Our scientists discovered and patented the elimination of this competing yeast pathway." 

"We are happy to compete in the marketplace – whether with the mega petroleum or chemical industry companies that are currently backing Butamax – or anyone else," said Lund.  "However, we expect our competitors to play by the rules and not illegally use our proprietary and patented technology to overcome their own technological deficiencies. That is why we filed a lawsuit in March, and why we are now seeking a preliminary injunction to halt their continued infringement of the '715 Patent."

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