Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) subsidiary Ethicon sued Intuitive Surgical (NSDQ:ISRG) last year, alleging that the robot-assisted surgery pioneer infringes a group of patents with the EndoWrist stapler it developed for its da Vinci platform.
The June 30, 2017, lawsuit asserts that the EndoWrist violates seven Ethicon patents covering its Echelon Flex line of endocutters and staplers, causing “irreparable harm to Ethicon” that “will continue to cause such harm unless and until their infringing activities are enjoined.”
“Ethicon brings this action against defendants because of their systematic infringement of Ethicon’s valuable patent rights. In addition to seeking damages for defendants’ infringement of Ethicon’s patent rights, Ethicon seeks to enjoin defendants’ continued infringement,” according to the lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for Delaware.
Ethicon is seeking declarations of infringement for the seven patents, permanent injunctions barring further infringement, damages, pre- and post-judgment interest and legal costs.
Here are the Ethicon patents named in the suit:
| U.S. patent number | Title |
| 9,585,658 | “Stapling Systems” |
| 8,479,969 | “Drive Interface for Operably Coupling a Manipulatable Surgical Tool to a Robot” |
| 9,113,874 | “Surgical Instrument System” |
| 8,998,058 | “Detachable Motor Powered Surgical Instrument” |
| 8,991,677 | “Detachable Motor Powered Surgical Instrument” |
| 9,084,601 | “Detachable Motor Powered Surgical Instrument” |
| 8,616,431 | “Shiftable Drive Interface for Robotically-Controlled Surgical Tool” |
