
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: THURSDAY, April 20, 1995                   TAG: 9504210058
SECTION: BUSINESS                    PAGE: B-7   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: KANSAS CITY, MO.                                LENGTH: Short

PERSONALIZED GREETING CARD FIGHT SETTLED

Hallmark Cards Inc. and American Greetings Corp. have agreed to settle their legal dispute over patents for their computerized greeting card machines.

Financial details of the agreement Tuesday were not disclosed.

Both companies will be allowed to use the disputed technology worldwide, and all proceedings involving the patent claims will be dropped.

The dispute started in July 1992, when Cleveland-based American Greetings unveiled its CreataCard kiosks for customers who wanted to create their own greeting cards.

Kansas City, Mo.-based Hallmark immediately charged that American Greetings was using technology that Hallmark had patented for its Touch-Screen Greetings kiosks.

Both devices allow consumers to write messages and choose graphics and print them on blank cards.

by CNB