Statement of AU Optronics

HSINCHU, Taiwan, Jan. 9, 2012 /PRNewswire-Asia-FirstCall/ -- On January 9, 2012, in San Francisco, AU Optronics Corporation begins trial in the case brought against it, its subsidiary AUO America and five of its current and former executives by the United States Department of Justice ("DOJ"). Despite the huge fines sought by the DOJ, AUO continues to fight the case because it is the right thing to do as it wishes that the real facts be presented through trial. The Company believes that the allegations made by the DOJ and the large fines the DOJ seeks to obtain are not warranted by the law and facts, and the Company believes the executives who have been charged are innocent of the charges. The Company continues to fight because it believes in the integrity of those who have worked tirelessly to make the company what it is.  If a company, for expediency reasons, chooses to plead guilty and requires its executives to cooperate with the plea and serve prison terms, not only would it fail to protect the shareholders' and investors' interests, but it would also mean rejecting the diligence and hard work of all those who built the company, and instead to cast aspersions on their character and conduct in building the company, which goes against AUO's core value.  This, AUO will not do.

The story of AUO is very much the story of Taiwan itself.  The growth of AUO was filled with competition and challenges.  When AUO entered this industry more than a decade ago, the Company knew that the international competitors were dominant, and had been in the business for years.  Despite the odds, AUO took on the challenge and has fully and fiercely competed with its rivals. The Company did not, as the DOJ alleges, fix prices with its competitors to get to where it is now.  AUO competed with others through its innovation, hard work and the efficiency of its employees to gradually become a global leader in the TFT-LCD industry.

Doing the right thing, however, is not always the easiest thing.  The executives have paid a high price for their stance.  In 2010, after the indictments were finally issued, and although the executives appeared in court voluntarily, they were accused by the DOJ of being "flight risks" merely because there was no extradition treaty between the US and Taiwan.  The executives were forced to stay in the United States.  The executives then tried as best as they could to maintain their obligations to the Company, their peers, co-workers, employees, and most importantly, their families thousands of miles from home.  Some had elderly parents in failing health who they could not see and could not take care of in their twilight years.  Others had young children who they could not see grow up, and could only communicate with on the phone or on-line.  Professionally, the executives had to try to do their job based thousands of miles away without the ability to interact with others face-to-face.

The easy route would have been to plead, but pleading would have meant sacrificing core values and admitting to something that was not true.  During trial, AUO is confident that the facts will come out related to how competitive the TFT-LCD business has been; how competition in the industry has been fierce, driving many companies to abandon the business and leaving only those who are the most efficient and with the lowest cost; and most importantly, how the fierce competition drove the price for panels down lower and lower, making products from monitors to notebooks to flat screen televisions more affordable for everyone.

AUO and its executives have made many sacrifices in the past years.  The sacrifices have been made to protect the interest of its shareholders and investors, to guard the core value of the Company and to seek justice, and because, while others may have forgotten, AUO still remembers the story of how it fiercely competed with its rivals in the TFT-LCD industry.

The Company will continue to evaluate and take appropriate actions in the interest of the Company regarding antitrust related matters.

ABOUT AU OPTRONICS

AU Optronics Corp. (AUO) is a global leader of thin film transistor liquid crystal display panels (TFT-LCD). AUO is able to provide customers with a full range of panel sizes and comprehensive applications, offering TFT-LCD panels in sizes ranging from 1.2 inches to greater than 71 inches. AUO generated NT$467.2 billion in sales revenue in 2010 (US$16 billion) with global operations in Taiwan, Mainland China, Japan, Singapore, South Korea, the U.S., and Europe. Additionally, AUO is the first pure TFT-LCD manufacturer to be successfully listed at the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE). AUO extended its market to the green energy industry in late 2008. The Display and Solar businesses were established respectively as the Company's two core businesses in October, 2010. For more information, please visit AUO.com.

* 2010 year end revenue converted at an exchange rate of NTD29.14:USD1.

Safe Harbour Notice

AU Optronics Corp. ("AUO" or the "Company") (TAIEX: 2409; NYSE: AUO), a global leader of TFT-LCD panels, today announced the above news. Except for statements in respect of historical matters, the statements contained in this Release are "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 27A of the U.S. Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the U.S. Securities Exchange Act of 1934. These forward-looking statements were based on our management's expectations, projections and beliefs at the time regarding matters including, among other things, future revenues and costs, financial performance, technology changes, capacity, utilization rates, yields, process and geographical diversification, future expansion plans and business strategy. Such forward looking statements are subject to a number of known and unknown risks and uncertainties that can cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such statements, including risks related to the flat panel display industry, the TFT-LCD market, acceptance of and demand for our products, technological and development risks, competitive factors, and other risks described in the section entitled "Risk Factors" in our Form 20-F filed with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission on May 3rd, 2011.

SOURCE AU Optronics Corporation