Blog

NDCA Jury Awards $46M For Infringement of Laser Treatment Patents

Authors

A jury in the Northern District of California awarded nearly $46M in damages to Covidien subsidiary VNUS Medical Technologies, Inc., finding Total Vein Solutions liable for $36.5M and Biolitec AG liable for $9.3M. VNUS sued for infringement of five patents directed to methods for treating varicose veins with lasers. The suit related to TVS's sales of laser fibers, laser consoles, introducer kits, and procedure packs. This lawsuit as well as other cases involving laser method patents have caused a stir among doctors, who claim that the patent assertions and infringement lawsuits have significantly increased the cost for laser and other medical treatments.

The opinions expressed are those of the authors on the date noted above and do not necessarily reflect the views of Fish & Richardson P.C., any other of its lawyers, its clients, or any of its or their respective affiliates. This post is for general information purposes only and is not intended to be and should not be taken as legal advice. No attorney-client relationship is formed.