Covidien has filed a lawsuit in the US District Court for the District of Connecticut against Ethicon Endo-Surgery, a Johnson & Johnson company, relating to the latter's Harmonic line of ultrasonic surgical products.
The lawsuit contends that US Patents: 6063050, 6468286, and 6682544 are infringed by many of the company’s Harmonic devices. Many of these same devices were found to infringe two of the same patents in a prior suit in the same court.
A December 2009 appeals court decision in the prior case permitted the filing of this new lawsuit, following dismissal of the prior suit on other grounds. The new suit asks the federal court to enjoin the company from continuing to make and sell the Harmonic devices named in the lawsuit, and to grant damages for these infringements, said the company.
Ralph Corradi, vice president of Endomechanical Franchise at Covidien.said “We will vigorously protect our innovations with our intellectual property.”
Covidien manufactures, distributes and services a diverse range of product lines in three segments, Medical Devices, Pharmaceuticals and Medical Supplies.