3M Co. (NYSE:MMM) is suing Salisbury, Mass.-based Andover Healthcare Inc. for patent infringement.
The company alleges that Andover’s two-layer compression bandage systems, including its CoFlex TLC and the CoFlex TLC Lite, infringe upon patents that cover 3M’s Coban 2 Layer and Coban 2 Layer Lite systems. The St. Paul, Minn.-based company won the patent, titled “Compression Bandage System,” and filed the lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for Minnesota on the same day, according to court documents.
3M is seeking injunctions for the bandages in question and damages against Andover Healthcare, the company said in prepared remarks.
The bandages from both companies are indicated for treatment of venous leg ulcers. 3M launched its Coban system in 2006 and introduced the 2 Layer Lite bandages in early 2010, according to the company. Andover introduced its first CoFlex products in 1989, according to its website.
3M filed a trademark infringement suit against Andover in April over packaging for the same product line, according to court documents. 3M withdrew the suit in June after Andover pulled the allegedly infringing packaging from the market, according to 3M spokeswoman Donna Fleming Runyon.
An email to Andover Healthcare was not immediately returned.