The Mass. Institute of Technology sued Still River Systems Inc. over infringement of three of its patents and unpaid licensing fees.
The school filed a complaint Dec. 23 in the U.S. District Court for Massachusetts alleging that the Littleton, Mass.-based company built technology intended for proton-based radiotherapy applications that relies on its patents. Still River also failed to pay fees for a licensing agreement it entered with MIT, the school alleges.
It’s the second suit MIT filed against Still River in two weeks. The school filed a suit Dec. 17 demanding that it be named as an owner or co-owner to a patent, “Charged Particle Radiation Therapy,” because of its rights to the work of MIT Plasma Science and Fusion Center research engineer Timothy Antay. MIT avers that Antay conceived one or more of the inventions in the patent, according to court documents. In the middle of the new suit is the same scientist, whom MIT is relying on to make its allegations.
In July 2004, the school entered into a licensing contract with Still River in which the company would sponsor a certain amount of research by the school, according to court documents. MIT invoiced the company $888,436 three years later and it never paid the fees, MIT alleges. The school wants the court to order the company to pay the fees.
The school also entered into a license agreement in August 2006 with the company for the MIT patents for proton radiotherapy, according to court documents. Still River did not make certain milestone payments for the licensed technology and the school subsequently terminated the deals involving the payments, MIT alleged.
Still River entered into a deal to install a "proton radiation system with a small, high-energy proton therapy accelerator for a number of entities," MIT alleged. The the school wants the court to bar the company from conducting any business with the product, which allegedly relies on MIT’s patents.
