Patents And Technology For ''Contractive'' Suspension To Be Auctioned

LONDON--May 2, 2006--ThinkFire, the leading intellectual property advisor to high-tech companies worldwide, announced today that it has been retained by Mauro Bianchi SA and its major shareholder, Francois-Charles Oberthur Fiduciaire SA, to sell its patents and technology in "Contractive" suspension for motor vehicles.

This technology has been developed over a 15 year period by Mauro Bianchi, a former international racing driver. Mauro Bianchi stated, "This technology provides a fully independent suspension system that is a direct replacement for a conventional one, with better performance and lower cost. It has been tested by several manufacturers and used by a number of teams operating sports and single seat racing cars. All have reported favourably on the improved performance."

"Contractive" suspension is a high performance spring system that uses one spring stiffness for ride and bump suppression and a stronger spring to return the wheel to optimum ground contact. This provides better comfort and performance and is less expensive than conventional suspension systems. The development and testing of this important technology is now complete and all the patents and technology are to be sold.

"There have been several offers to buy the "Contractive" suspension technology over the years," noted Peter Spours, Executive Vice President of ThinkFire. "However Mauro Bianchi SA decided to complete the development programme and test the technology in road and race cars, motorbikes and commercial vehicles before inviting offers. This is a very exciting opportunity for a major manufacturer or suspension supplier to obtain the patents and design details to the next generation technology."

ThinkFire is organising a closed, private auction of the patents and technology. This is expected to be complete by late summer 2006.

Editor's note: "Contractive" and "Mauro Bianchi" are registered trademarks of Mauro Bianchi SA.

About Mauro Bianchi SA

Mauro Bianchi SA is a French company registered in Paris (Number 351,740,832). It was incorporated in 1989 and provides research, development and consultancy services to the motor industry. The shareholders include the Bianchi family, Francois-Charles Oberthur SA and some individuals. The company is based at Cogolin, close to Nice in Southern France.

About Francois-Charles Oberthur Fiduciaire SA

Francois-Charles Oberthur Fiduciaire SA (www.oberthur.com) is a worldwide EUR 700 million, manufacturer of high security printed products, such as banknotes and identification documents, instant lottery tickets, smart cards and credit cards, cash-in-transit intelligent systems and checks. Incorporated in 1984, the group is privately held.

About ThinkFire

ThinkFire (www.thinkfire.com) is an international intellectual property services firm that works in partnership with high technology companies to increase profitability, minimise expense and enhance freedom to operate. Last year, ThinkFire concluded a sale of key communications patents for a Global 100 corporation, achieving nearly EUR 20 million for the patent owner and providing the purchasers with important patents that enhanced their portfolios.

The firm's professionals include experts from leading technology and professional services firms including IBM, BT (British Telecom), Accenture, Siemens, PwC, Lucent Technologies, The McKenna Group, and Intel. ThinkFire offices are located in greater New York, London and San Francisco.