

The University of Michigan is suing St. Jude Medical (NYSE:STJ), accusing the medical device maker of failing to pay $4.3 million in royalties on sales of St. Jude’s Epic and Trifecta cardiovascular valves.
The university said its deal with the St. Paul, Minn.-based company grants St. Jude the exclusive right to use a Michigan patent covering a "Method of Making Calcification-Resistant Bioprosthetic Tissue," including certain technology described in the patent. In return, the company is to pay a 5% royalty on net sales of the Epic and Trifecta devices.
In June 2011, according to the lawsuit, St. Jude sent the school a letter claiming it had overpaid some $4.3 million in royalties from 2009 to 2011, saying it planned to apply the alleged over-payment as a credit to future royalty payments to Michigan.
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"The purported reason for SJM’s change in position for royalties payable to MIchigan is an alleged change in the manufacturing process used by SJM and the difference in patent claim scope between patents of Michigan issued in the United States versus claims issued to Michigan in other countries," according to the lawsuit.
Michigan wants a jury trial, unpaid royalties and damages, according to the suit, which was filed in the U.S. District Court for Eastern Michigan.
Smith & Nephew loses bid to toss Convatec patent in UK
Smith & Nephew (FTSE:SN, NYSE:SNN) lost its bid to have a British court declare a Convatec patent invalid.
The British healthcare conglomerate wanted the the High Court of the Chancery Division in the U.K. to revoke a Convatec patent covering the making of an ant-microbial wound dressing using photo-stable silver. But the court ruled that Convatec’s amended patent was valid, denying the SNN bid.
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Biomet MoM hip suits headed to MDL?
Lawyers representing patients suing Biomet Inc. over its Biomet M2a-Magnum metal-on-metal hip implant want the cases consolidated into a multi-district litigation.
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Shareholder sues over M*Modal’s $1B takeover
An M*Modal (NSDQ:MODL) shareholder is suing over the $1.1 billion offer from JPMorgan Chase’s leveraged buyout offer, claiming that M*Modal’s board breached their fiduciary duties by agreeing to the allegedly lowball offer.
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Photomedex settles Tria Beauty lawsuits
PhotoMedex (NSDQ:PHMD) said it settled a pair of lawsuits between its Radiancy subsidiary and Tria Beauty Inc., "resulting in the settlement and dismissal with prejudice of all pending litigation matters," according to a press release.
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Zeltiq: Clinipro injunction in Spain still stands
Zeltiq (NSDQ:ZLTQ) said claims by Clinipro in Spain that a preliminary injunction granted by the Mercantile Court has been suspended are false. The injunction is part of a patent infringement lawsuit between the 2, covering patents owned by Mass. General Hospital that are licensed to Zeltiq.
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AngioScore doesn’t care for Chocolate
Angioplasty catheter maker AngioScore is suing TriReme Medical and Quattro Vascular for patent infringement, alleging that the duo’s Chocolate angioplasty balloon catheter violates its intellectual property.
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Given Imaging scores patent win in Korea
The Intellectual Property Tribunal of the Korean Intellectual Property Office ruled that a pair of Korean patents in a lawsuit against Intromedic are valid.
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