Hologic touts win in trade secret case

Hologic (NSDQ:HOLX) yesterday touted a win in a court case against a Chinese competitor and former employee the company accused of misappropriating trade secrets.

The Marlborough, Mass.-based company said that a Massachusetts Superior Court granted a preliminary injunction against Chinese X-ray device maker Direct Digital Imaging Technology and former employee Lawrence Ibbetson for alleged misappropriation of trade secrets.

In its case, Hologic alleges that DDIT and Ibbetson took trade secrets related to selenium coating technology used in the company’s breast scanning devices, including its Selenia Dimensions and 3Dimensions mammography systems.

The company filed a suit against DDIT in 2016 that alleged a breach in contract for failing to pay for general radiography panels treated with the coatings. This year, the complaint was amended to include trade secret misappropriation claims, the company said.

Hologic said that as part of the preliminary injunction, the court ruled that the company is “likely to succeed in its trade secrets claim,” according to a press release.

The injunction included an order that the plaintiffs stop using or disclosing selenium coating specifications Hologic claimed are misappropriated, and an order that DDIT and Ibbetson not develop an alternative selenium coating unless conditions, including independent monitoring, are met. The injunction is slated to be effective through the end of the trial.

“We are very pleased with the Superior Court’s ruling. As the world leader and innovator in mammography, we will continue to defend our intellectual property against what we believe to be unfair trade practices in order to protect the innovations that drive advances for our customers and outcomes for their patients,” breast and skeletal health prez Pete Valenti said in a press release.

Earlier this week, Hologic said that it launched its next-gen Omni hysteroscope in the U.S. after having received FDA 510(k) clearance earlier in the month.