Super Vision CEO Writes about ``The Real War Against America'': China's Intellectual Property Theft

CAROL STREAM, Ill.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 29, 2005--Brett Kingstone, author of The Real War Against America (ISBN 0-9755199-2-1, Specialty Publishing), has personally witnessed the acts of economic terrorists that have been preying on U.S. manufacturers. His book, The Real War Against America, tells the story.

Professor Pat Choate, former vice presidential running mate of H. Ross Perot and author of Agents of Influence and America in Ruins, said of the book: "At first, I thought this book was another Tom Clancy techno-thriller, then I realized it was non-fiction -- the true story of a dynamic American entrepreneur whose company was under attack by one of China's largest gang of counterfeiters. If any book about global business today should be made into a movie, The Real War Against America is it."

“While this sounds like a great spy novel, the facts are that this activity is threatening American manufacturers every day.”

The book has already had its impact on Washington: "The Real War Against America is as good as any spy novel you can pick up....Today, intellectual property theft costs American industry an estimated $250 billion a year. And the price tag is rising...The dreams and imaginations of Americans is something worth fighting for. Let's hope we win this battle," stated Congressman Ric Keller (R, 8th District Florida), Co-Author of the Intellectual Property Protection Act of 2002.

Kingstone is the founder, president, and CEO of Super Vision International, (NASDAQ:SUPVA) a leading maker of fiber-optic and LED lighting products. Founded in 1989, Super Vision's clients include Universal Studios, Disney, and Coca-Cola. A decade later, after increasing revenues to more than $10 million, Super Vision found itself in the middle of an international legal battle that involved stolen trade secrets, private investigators, shredded evidence, and threatened co-workers and their family members.

"When I started making fiber-optic lights in my dorm room at Stanford," Kingstone said, "I never imagined anything like this."

Since November 1999, Kingstone and Super Vision have been entangled in an intellectual property battle that started when Super Vision began exploring opportunities in the Chinese market. One of the most difficult facts is that the U.S. government has been of little or no help. "Our government is simply standing by while our domestic industries are being slaughtered and millions of jobs are being stolen," says Kingstone.

Chinese competitors, led by a man named Samson Wu, offered a Super Vision employee more than $1 million to steal technology and advanced manufacturing equipment. Wu also hired people to intimidate Super Vision employees and convince them to steal even more from the company. After seeing the market flooded with counterfeit "Super Vision" products at half the legitimate price, Kingstone took legal action. He also hired private investigators, who masqueraded as wealthy Arab Sheiks and actually purchased Super Vision counterfeit products in Shanghai via hidden surveillance cameras. The evidence was later used to convict the Wus in a 2002 jury trial (Case # CI-99-9392) where the defendants refused to answer any questions citing their 5th Amendment privilege and an ongoing FBI investigation.

In 2003 Super Vision received a final judgment against the Wu controlled companies of $41.2 million, but by the time the final judgment was entered the Wus liquidated all their U.S. holdings and wired all their funds out of the United States.

"Kingstone's story is the untold tale of intellectual property scandal in America," said Peggy Smedley, editorial director and founder of Start Magazine. "While this sounds like a great spy novel, the facts are that this activity is threatening American manufacturers every day."

"We were under siege," Kingstone said. "We're being attacked from the shadows by some unknown enemy, well outside the reach of our laws, who was now closing in for the kill."

Dwight Carey, president of APG and U.S. Congress Business of the Year Award Winner, warned: "The story of Brett Kingstone and his company is far more than a high-tech Horatio Alger tale. It is an adventure which should become a case study for every business school candidate to memorize, for here lies a glimpse of the real war and its battles which can be our nation's demise."

About Brett Kingstone

Brett Kingstone started designing and manufacturing fiber-optic lighting systems at the age of 19 while living in a dormitory at Stanford University. Kingstone is now the CEO of Super Vision International, a leading manufacturer of fiber-optic and LED lighting products. Super Vision has been honored as one of the "Top 500 Fastest Growing Technology Companies in the United States," "Top 50 Fastest Growing Companies in Florida," and "Industry of the Year Award" in Orange County, Florida.

The Real War Against America is currently available at http://www.amazon.com, http://www.startmag.com/books/ and http://www.barnesandnoble.com. Copies will be available in bookstores in April.