Falls Church, VA - March 12, 2002 - Metrics Group announces the availability of a new report-- Technical Intelligence Profile (TIP): Finger-Scan Biometrics Patenting. The TIP analyzes trends in U.S. finger-scan biometrics patenting, and includes charts and maps that illustrate patenting trends in the field. The report also includes charts and maps that analyze the patenting of selected companies: Authentec, Bioscrypt, Digital Persona, FMX, Identix, Indivos, Ultra-Scan, and Visionics.

Among the findings presented in the report are those that show FMX (formerly Fingermatrix) as holding finger-scan patents that are more highly cited by later patents than the patents held by any other finger-scan biometrics company. This indicates that the patents held by FMX might be particularly valuable.

"With all the consolidation happening in the biometrics industry, we think that this report will help companies benchmark themselves against their competition and help them plan for potential mergers or acquisitions," said Simone Friedman, lead analyst on the Finger-Scan TIP report.

With the purchase of the Finger-Scan Biometrics TIP ($249), Metrics Group is offering a free data supplement analyzing Authentec's patents. Normally sold for $99, the Authentec supplement provides detailed data showing which companies Authentec's patents are building upon and which companies are building upon Authentec's patents. The free Authentec report is available until March 31, and may be ordered at www.metricsgroup.com.

About Metrics Group, LLC
Metrics Group is a research firm that specializes in mining patent and publication databases for competitive intelligence and patent portfolio management. Offering a wide range of reports, alerting services, and online tools, Metrics Group is the value leader in the field of Innovation Analytics. Visit www.metricsgroup.com or www.patentcitations.com for more information.

Contact:
Rich Kolar
703-534-7358
rkolar@metricsgroup.com