By Press Release

February 25, 2000

Wilmington, Delaware, July 7 (Bloomberg) -- Two units of Adidas-Salomon AG, the world's No. 2 sporting goods manufacturer, accused a unit of rival K2 Inc., the top U.S. ski maker, of infringing its patent for snowboard boot bindings.

In a suit filed in U.S. District Court in Wilmington, France's Salomon SA and Georgetown, Massachusetts-based Salomon North America Inc. say Vashon, Washington-based K-2 Corp. is using their invention, patented in 1997, for adjustable bindings that are less cumbersome than earlier models, enhance control and can be used with a wide variety of boots.

The suit says K2's line of bindings copies Salomon technology, and should not be made or sold in the U.S.

``The Salomon plaintiffs have been damaged (and) will continue to be irreparably harmed'' unless K2's infringement is stopped, according to the suit, which asks a judge to award legal fees and damages based on reasonable royalties.

K2 spokesman Darren Jones said the allegations are ``a little bit ridiculous,'' since his company has been making the bindings since 1993 and the Salomon patent was awarded in 1997.

Shares of Los Angeles-based K2 Inc. rose 1/16 to 9 11/16. Shares of Herzogenaurach, Germany-based Adidas-Salomon rose 0.05 euro to 93.50 in Frankfurt.