Medtronic and NuVasive are reportedly accusing each other of infringing on their respective patents related to products used in surgeries.
A unit of Fridley-based Medtronic, Inc., and San Diego-based NuVasive, Inc.—both makers of medical devices for spinal surgery—are facing off with dueling patent infringement suits, according to a report by Bloomberg.
Each company is reportedly trying to convince a San Diego federal jury that the other business infringed on its own patents related to products used in surgeries.
Medtronic unit Warsaw Orthopedic, Inc., says NuVasive infringed on three of its patents for implants that can be inserted between vertebrae, a plate and screw system, and a tissue retractor, Bloomberg said.
Medtronic’s lawyer reportedly told jurors that the company has suffered substantial damages and that one calculation puts its lost profits at $200 million.
NuVasive, meanwhile, accuses Medtronic Sofamor Danek—another Medtronic business unit—of infringing on its patent for a nerve monitoring system, according to Bloomberg. The company’s lawyer reportedly denied that NuVasive had infringed on Medtronic’s patent and claimed that the smaller company’s devices became so successful that Medtronic targeted it and “wanted in on this product.”
Medtronic is the world’s largest medical device company and Minnesota’s seventh-largest public company based on revenue, which totaled $15.93 billion for the fiscal year that ended in April.
Read entire article: http://tcbmag.blogs.com/daily_developments/2011/08/medtronic-and-ca-co-sue-each-other-over-patents.html
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