Mar 26 2010
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit ruled in favor of Greatbatch by vacating an August 2008 patent infringement verdict regarding surgical introducers. This decision overturns the original $1.1 million of damages awarded against the Company.
“From the time of the trial court’s decision, we were extremely confident in our position. We firmly believed that the appellate court would vacate the original verdict, which it did in a nearly unanimous decision before a five judge panel.”
“We are very pleased by the appellate court’s decision, which reflects how we conduct our business. That is, with deep respect of the intellectual property rights of others,” said Mauricio Arellano, senior vice president of cardiac and neurology, Greatbatch Medical. “From the time of the trial court’s decision, we were extremely confident in our position. We firmly believed that the appellate court would vacate the original verdict, which it did in a nearly unanimous decision before a five judge panel.”
This decision stems from a claim filed by Pressure Products Medical Supplies, Inc. in 2006 against Enpath Medical, Inc., which was acquired by the Company in 2007. In its claim, Pressure Products asserted that Greatbatch’s FlowGuard™ valved peelable introducer product and ViaSeal™ valved peelable introducer prototype infringed patents held by Pressure Products.
In yesterday’s decision, the U.S. Appeals Court for the Federal Circuit made clear that the trial court erred in a definition it provided for a patent claim term. The Federal Circuit remanded the case back to the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas for further proceedings consistent with the appellate court’s findings.
Source: Greatbatch, Inc.