Malibu Boats Successfully Obtains Patent Reexamina

LOUDON, TN--(Marketwired - June 07, 2017) - Malibu Boats, LLC, a subsidiary of Malibu Boats, Inc. (NASDAQ: MBUU), today announced a favorable ruling from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) regarding Malibu's US Patent No. 9,260,161 related to wake surfing systems.

The USPTO recently issued a Notice of Intent to Issue Ex Parte Reexamination Certificate for the patent without amendment to the original claims. MasterCraft Boat Company requested that the PTO re-examine the patent during prior litigation between Malibu and MasterCraft. In particular, the USPTO confirmed without amendment the patentability of Claims 1, 7, 10, 12, 13 and 15 over a large volume of prior art references developed during prior litigations, including the now settled litigation with MasterCraft.

The PTO's recent order follows previous decisions rejecting challenges to another of Malibu's wake-surfing patents. On November 16, 2016, the PTO's Patent Trial and Appeal Board (the "Board") denied both of MasterCraft's petitions for inter partes review of U.S. Patent No. 8,578,873, which had also been filed during the prior litigation between Malibu and MasterCraft. The Board found that none of the grounds in MasterCraft's petitions presented even a reasonable likelihood of success regarding the challenged claims.

Malibu CEO Jack Springer commented: "We are pleased that the requested re-examination of these patents is complete. This successful re-examination only further strengthens our confidence in the intellectual property protecting our wake surfing technology advancements. We are very excited about continuing to expand our position as the leading innovator in the marine industry."

In addition to these two patents, Malibu owns five other relevant patents as well as several continuation applications directed to varying aspects of its wake surfing innovations, giving it a total of seven U.S. patents related to wake surfing systems. Malibu intends to vigorously defend its intellectual property related to wake surfing systems.

About Malibu Boats, Inc.

Malibu Boats is a leading designer, manufacturer and marketer of performance sport boats, with the #1 market share position in the United States since 2010. The Company has two brands of performance sport boats, Malibu and Axis Wake Research (Axis). Since inception in 1982, the Company has been a consistent innovator in the powerboat industry, designing products that appeal to an expanding range of recreational boaters and water sports enthusiasts whose passion for boating and water sports is a key aspect of their lifestyle.

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