A federal appeals court today upheld a win for Steris (NYSE:STE) and Medtrica in a patent infringement lawsuit brought against them by Cygnus Medical.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit affirmed the summary judgment dismissing the lawsuit issued by Judge Robert Lasnik of the U.S. District Court for Western Washington almost exactly a year ago, without elaborating on the case.
Cygnus sued Steris and Medtrica in 2012, alleging infringement of its intellectual property covering endoscope pre-cleaning kits. Lasnik granted the defendants’ motion for summary judgment March 3, 2014, ruling that Cygnus failed to prove either literal infringement or infringement under the doctrine of equivalents, according to court filings.
Lasnik later reversed an earlier ruling denying legal costs to Steris and Medtrica, after the U.S. Supreme court revised the rules around awards for lawsuits alleged to be frivolous.
Last month, anti-trust regulators in the U.K. approved Steris’ proposed $2 billion acquisition of Synergy Health. The U.S. Federal Trade Commission in January asked for more information on the merger.