Covidien (NYSE: COV), a leading global provider of healthcare products, today announced that it has won a patent infringement suit against Ethicon Endo-Surgery, Inc., a Johnson & Johnson company, relating to Ethicon's Harmonic® line of ultrasonic surgical products.
The federal court awarded Covidien a $176.5 million verdict upon ruling that several claims of Covidien's patents were valid, enforceable, and infringed by Ethicon. The amount of the verdict, which could be appealed, was based on an 8 percent royalty rate on infringing sales through March 2012, plus prejudgment interest.
"As a global healthcare market leader, Covidien invests significant resources into creating and developing medical innovations. We are pleased that the federal court recognized our innovation in ultrasonic surgical devices, finding our patents both valid and infringed by Ethicon Endo-Surgery. We will continue to vigorously protect our innovative products, solutions and intellectual property," stated Chris Barry, President, Advanced Surgical Technologies, Covidien.
The federal court found that Ethicon infringed Covidien's U.S. Patents 6,063,050, 6,468,286, and 6,682,544, each relating to ultrasonic cutting and coagulation surgical devices.
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