Acuity Brands Settles Suit against B-K Lighting.

ATLANTA -- Acuity Brands, Inc. (NYSE: AYI) announced today that it has favorably settled the patent infringement lawsuit the Company filed against B-K Lighting, Inc. in July 2004.

The suit involved infringement claims regarding patents for in-grade lighting products developed by Hydrel, an Acuity Brands company. The products with respect to which infringement was claimed were manufactured and distributed by B-K Lighting under the name Tenaya(R). As a resolution to this suit, B-K Lighting agreed to discontinue manufacturing, using, distributing, delivering, selling, and offering to sell this version of its Tenaya(R) products.

Kenneth W. Honeycutt, Jr., President and Chief Executive Officer of Acuity Brands Lighting, said, "We are very pleased to announce the settlement of this infringement suit, which confirms our strong patent position. As a world leader in lighting and lighting product innovation, we believe it is very important to defend our intellectual property rights."

Acuity Brands, Inc., with fiscal year 2004 net sales of over $2.1 billion, is comprised of Acuity Brands Lighting and Acuity Specialty Products. Acuity Brands Lighting is one of the world's leading providers of lighting fixtures and includes brands such as Lithonia Lighting(R), Holophane(R), Peerless(R), Hydrel(R), American Electric Lighting(R), and Gotham(R). Acuity Specialty Products is a leading provider of specialty chemicals and includes brands such as Zep(R), Zep Commercial(TM), Enforcer(R), and Selig(TM). Headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, Acuity Brands employs approximately 11,000 people and has operations throughout North America and in Europe and Asia.