Taking certain steps — including some that are easily overlooked — can better protect your intellectual property. Thinking of designing your own medical device or launching a company? In recent DeviceTalks Weekly podcasts, two partners from the intellectual property law firm Finnegan, Henderson, Farabow, Garrett & Dunner, LLP shared several tips medical device company executives […]
Patent Infringement
Abbott’s St. Jude Medical wins patent spat over catheterization method
St. Jude Medical, now part of Abbott, has won a patent dispute over a method for using a double catheter in heart failure patients. Niazi Licensing’s patent, issued in 2003 for the double catheter system, describes it as better suited for “use in the coronary sinus, especially in patients suffering from congestive heart failure,” according […]
3 ways to a strategic medtech patent portfolio
Protecting innovations leads to medtech success. Top Greenberg Traurig patent attorneys explain how. Roman Fayerberg and David J. Dykeman, Greenberg Traurig A strategic patent portfolio is key to a medtech company’s growth and success, but building a robust patent portfolio takes strategy, time and money. While there are no shortcuts to building a strategic patent […]
Supremes turn back Cochlear IP appeal
The U.S. Supreme Court has declined to hear a $268 million patent case appeal filed by Cochlear Ltd. (ASX:COH) against two competitors. The Australia-based hearing implant company had appealed a March 2020 federal appeals court decision upholding a U.S. District Court decision that awarded $268 million in damages to those competitors, the Alfred Mann Foundation and Advanced Bionics, the […]
Nevro, Boston Scientific bury the hatchet in one IP case
Boston Scientific (NYSE:BSX) and Nevro (NYSE:NVRO) announced today that they have agreed to end Nevro’s patent infringement lawsuit against the larger company. Nevro had filed suit in the Northern District of California relating to high frequency paresthesia-free spinal cord stimulation (SCS) therapy. The official dismissal of the case is subject to the approval of the court. Boston […]
Abbott accuses former employee of masquerading as COVID-19 test salesman
Abbott Laboratories has sued a former employee for trademark infringement and theft of trade secrets, accusing him of selling other manufacturers’ COVID-19 tests on behalf of Abbott. Attorneys for Abbott filed the complaint on Tuesday, seeking a preliminary injunction against Justin Brown as well as monetary damages. Abbott said it fired Brown from his sales […]
U.S. Supreme Court to hear Arthrex challenge to constitutionality of patent judges
The U.S. Supreme Court said today that it will review a 2019 appeals court ruling in a patent spat between Arthrex and Smith+Nephew (NYSE:SNN), in which the appeals court judges found that Patent Trial and Appeal Board judges are unconstitutionally appointed. The 2019 ruling by the U.S. Federal Circuit Court of Appeals in Washington, D.C. could […]
U.S. Patent Office to move forward with claims in Medtronic-Axonics patent battle
The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) Patent Trial and Appeal Board is moving forward with claims from Axonics Modulation Technologies (NSDQ:AXNX) against Medtronic (NYSE:MDT). Axonics develops the r-SNM sacral neuromodulation system, which it touts as the first of its kind approved for sale in the U.S., Europe, Canada and Australia and the only SNM device approved […]
Everything you need to know about medical device creation
Medtech development is hard. Medical device creation can require manufacturing know-how in areas as wide-ranging as electrical components, high-performance polymers, molding and machining – and that doesn’t even include the required expertise in design, regulatory requirements and achieving reimbursement. The good news is that the companies serving the medical device industry have become specialized experts. […]
Cochlear agrees to $75M in attorneys’ fees in patent spat
Cochlear Ltd. (ASX:COH) has agreed to pay $75 million in attorneys’ fees on top of the $268 million in damages it was ordered to pay two competitors in June in a long-running patent fight. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit on March 16 upheld a U.S. District Court decision that awarded the […]
Hackers targeted medtech and other IP for Chinese government, indictment claims
A federal grand jury in Spokane, Wash. has indicted two Chinese nationals on charges that they hacked into medtech companies and hundreds of other businesses, governments and organizations — in some cases on behalf of the Chinese Ministry of State Security. The 11-count indictment, which the U.S. Department of Justice announced today, alleges that Li […]
