Buckeye's Stac-Pac Patent Validity Reaffirmed by European Patent Office.

Business Editors

MEMPHIS, Tenn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--June 10, 2003

Buckeye Technologies Inc. (NYSE:BKI) today announced that the Opposition Division of the European Patent Office (EPO) reaffirmed the validity of Buckeye's Stac-Pac(TM) European Patent 0 910 542 B1.

In a hearing last week, the EPO rejected the oppositions by Concert GmbH and others, reaffirming the European Patent's validity in its entirety. While this decision is appealable, Buckeye is confident that the EPO Board of Appeal will also confirm its validity.

Stac-Pac(TM) is an innovative system for folding and packaging high-loft nonwoven materials into compressed rectangular units or bales. This patented packaging system offers Buckeye's customers significant reductions in freight and storage costs as the compressed bales nest more compactly than rolls in trucks and containers. More importantly, Stac-Pac(TM) packaging also allows the efficient supply of extremely narrow widths and enables Buckeye's customers to feed high-speed feminine hygiene and diaper production lines with an uninterrupted flow of materials.

Buckeye Chairman, David B. Ferraro, commented, "We are pleased with the European Patent Office's decision. This decision, coupled with our infringement lawsuit victory against Concert GmbH in a German court, which is in its final stages of appeal, provides a strong foundation for enforcing the protective rights of our Stac-Pac(TM) technology. We are confident that the appeal in the German infringement proceeding will be decided in our favor and that the Canadian courts will reach the same conclusion in our pending infringement suit against Concert in that jurisdiction."

Buckeye, a leading manufacturer and marketer of specialty cellulose and absorbent products, is headquartered in Memphis, Tennessee, USA. The Company currently operates facilities in the United States, Germany, Canada, Ireland and Brazil. Its products are sold worldwide to makers of consumer and industrial goods.

Certain matters discussed in this press release may constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of the federal securities laws that involve risks and uncertainties, including but not limited to economic, competitive, governmental, and technological factors affecting the Company's operations, financing, markets, products, services and prices, and other factors. For further information on factors which could impact the Company and the statements contained herein, please refer to public filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.