Cincinnati Bell Inc. Monday adopted a revised shareholder-rights plan.

The plan, which updates a similar one crafted in 1986, is designed to deter coercive or unfair takeover tactics in the event of an unsolicited buyout proposal. It takes effect May 2.

The plan will give Cincinnati Bell's board of directors greater flexibility to protect shareholder interests and would make it more difficult for a suitor to gain control of the company without offering fair and equal treatment to stockholders, Cincinnati Bell said.

In approving the plan, the board also declared a dividend of one preferred share purchase right for each outstanding Cincinnati Bell common share owned as of May. 2. The rights expire in 10 years. They cannot be exercised or transferred apart from the common shares, unless a person or group acquires 15 percent or more of Cincinnati Bell's outstanding stock.

Court rules on Hilton Davis

The Supreme Court Monday sent a patent-law case involving Bond Hill-based Hilton Davis Chemical Co. back to appeals court but upheld the argument that Hilton Davis used to garner a $3.6 million award.

The case stems from the appeal of a patent-infringement verdict Hilton Davis won. The patent involves a process for removing impurities from food dye solutions. Hilton filed an infringement suit in 1991 against Warner-Jenkinson Co., a subsidiary of Philadelphia-based Freedom Chemical Co.

At the center of the case is the doctrine of equivalence, which states that a product or process doesn't have to infringe literally on a patent claim to violate the patent. Often in such cases, the court rules on substantial, but not exact, similarities.

Though the high court upheld the doctrine, it sent the case back to U.S. Appeals Court in Washington, D.C., on an issue raised over why Hilton Davis changed part of the chemical makeup in the process in the patent application.

GE Engine Services contract

Evendale-based GE Engine Services Monday said it received a 10-year contract from Federal Express Corp. to provide maintenance and repair services for engines on its newly acquired McDonnell Douglas DC-10 aircraft.

The contract, which GEAE valued at ''several hundred million dollars,'' will cover about 125 GE CF6-6 engines on FedEx's DC-10 jumbo jets.

Waste Reduction OKs deal

Waste Reduction Technologies, a small Covington company with the rights to a process for turning garbage into fuel feedstock, has agreed to be acquired by DynaMotive Technologies Corp., a Canadian environmental technology company.

Terms of the agreement weren't disclosed, but Anthony Noll, president of Waste Reduction, said the accord calls for all 150 shares of his company's stock to be exchanged for a ''substantial amount'' of DynaMotive shares. DynaMotive raised about $4 million though an initial public stock offering of 1.4 million shares and warrants a year ago.

Mr. Noll said the acquisition, which should be completed in about two months, will further Waste Reduction's efforts to commercialize a process licensed from the University of Alabama that uses pressurized steam to ''cook'' solid waste into a cellulosic pulp.

Computemp opens office

A Boca Raton, Fla., staffing service that provides workers with computer technology skills has opened a Cincinnati office.

Computemp, which opened its office at the Grand Baldwin Building, expects to open a similar office March 10 in Cleveland and has plans for offices in Columbus and Louisville. Computemp has 30 offices in 15 states.