Stryker Corp. (NYSE:SYK) filed a patent infringement lawsuit this week against Zimmer Holdings Inc. (NYSE:ZMH) over a trio of wound-care device patents.
The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for Western New York, accuses Warsaw, Indiana-based Zimmer of violating the patents — “Irrigation handpiece with built in pulsing pump,” “Surgical/medical irrigator with removable tip and integrated suction conduit” and “Surgical/medical irrigating handpiece with variable speed pump, integrated suction and battery pack” — with its Pulsavac Plus wound debridement system, according to court documents.
The lawsuit seeks a jury trial, a judgment of willful infringement, triple damages, an injunction barring future infringement and legal fees.
With the Rise of AI, What IP Disputes in Healthcare Are Likely to Emerge?
Munck Wilson Mandala Partner Greg Howison shared his perspective on some of the legal ramifications around AI, IP, connected devices and the data they generate, in response to emailed questions.
It’s not the first time Stryker has gone to court to protect this particular intellectual property. In January 2000, it sued Davol Inc. in the same court, according to the documents, alleging infringement of a pair of the patents. That suit was settled a year later, with Davol licensing the right to use the patents, according to court documents.
Earlier this month Stryker looked to put another legal imbroglio behind it, selling its Stryker Biotech OP-1 putty line to Japan-based Olympus Corp. (OTC:OCPNY) for $60 million. Federal investigators in Oct. 2009 indicted the company and four managers, charging that they led a two-year campaign to illegally promote the combined use of separate bone-healing products.
The Massachusetts Medical Devices Journal is the online journal of the medical devices industry in the Commonwealth and New England, providing day-to-day coverage of the devices that save lives, the people behind them, and the burgeoning trends and developments within the industry.
